


People Fall in Love in Mysterious Ways

by Fearlesskiki



Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction, Sports RPF
Genre: Declarations Of Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Kira is kind of like Avril Lavigne sometimes, Love, M/M, Mario is kind of oblivious, No one takes Thomas seriously, There are tons of misunderstandings and mysteries, Thomas is actually smart, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 32
Words: 70,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3637440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>***ON HIATUS. WILL PROBABLY REWRITE AND RESUME ON 2018-2019***</p><p>People can fall in love in many different ways. And often, people did not realise when they do. </p><p>Following the love, struggles and friendship that circles around the boys of Die Mannschaft and the people around them. Falling in love is magical and breathtaking, but it's not always rainbows and butterflies.</p><p>Kira Götze is a 9th-grade student at Munich International School. She has a crush on her brother’s best friend Marco. But Marco seems to have his eyes laid on someone else. And that someone else isn’t who she is expecting. </p><p>Mats and Benni's love is proven to be a rocky journey since the beginning. But the modern Montague and Capulet are not giving up that easily.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!!! This is my first fanfiction. I never imagine of writing a fiction. (There are so many awesome writers out there!). It's about Die Mannschaft. They inspired me a lot in captions! :D
> 
> This story is a random thing that’s spinning in my head, but I’m not sure if it’s going to work. It's a school AU with some real references mix into it. I hope you will like it, though! I might change a bit of stuff here and there.
> 
> The title is taken from the Ed Sheeran song, Thinking out loud :P
> 
> *Everything in this fiction is just a fandom and not related to the real people and brands stated in the fiction.*
> 
> Characters:  
> Kira Götze (original character) – 9th-grade student, a football fan, has a crush on Marco.  
> Mario Götze – 7th-grade student, Kira’s brother, Marco and André’s best friend, midfielder in Die Mannschaft.  
> Marco Reus – 7th-grade student, Mario and André’s best friend and Kira’s crush, midfielder in Die Mannschaft.  
> André Schürrle – 7th-grade student, Mario and Marco’s best friend, midfielder in Die Mannschaft.  
> Benedikt "Benni" Höwedes - 9th-grade student, defender in Die Mannschaft  
> Mats Hummels – 9th-grade student, the heartthrob of Munich International School, defender in Die Mannschaft  
> Thomas Müller – 9th-grade student, Kira’s best friend and classmate, midfielder in Die Mannschaft  
> Lisa Trede - 9th-grade student, Kira and Thomas' classmate, animal lover  
> Philipp Lahm – 11th-grade student, der Kapitän and defender of Die Mannschaft  
> Bastian Schweinsteiger – 11th-grade student, Vice-captain and midfielder of Die Mannschaft  
> Minnie "Mini-Mini" Lee (original character) - 11th-grade student, Philipp's classmate  
> 

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira Götze is a 9th-grade student in Munich International School who loves football. She has fallen in love with a certain footballer in school.

Kira Götze has always loved football. Not because of the eye candy boys on the field, she genuinely loves the sport itself. The brunette girl knows football inside and out. The rules, players, and even club histories. Her love of football was probably infused by her father, who is a huge fan of FC Bayern München. He would sometimes take Kira and her baby brother Mario to the games. But most of the time they would watch the games at home. Football is a massive event in the house. During the big games such as the World Cup or Champions League, they would wear football jerseys and decorate the living room with banners and flags. Mom couldn’t stop them from doing so because majority rules.

 

Kira’s room is fully decorated with football player posters. But that is nothing compared to her brother Mario. Mario is a football freak. He has a green carpet in his room. He even has a round bed with a bedsheet of football prints. And almost everything in Mario’s room is football themed. Sometimes Mr Götze loves to spend time in Mario’s room because the former wanted to decorate his room that way but had to scrap the idea because of Mrs Götze’s dismay.

 

Kira is close to her brother Mario because he is her only sibling. They are two years apart from each other. Both of them love to play football. They love playing penalty shoot-outs, Mario as the goalscorer and Kira as a goalkeeper. Even when they are not playing football, they would play Fifa at the living room. Sometimes Kira’s mom, Mrs Götze, would wonder whether Kira is a boy.

 

Kira and Mario always look forward to Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is where Mario's co-curriculum takes place after school. And that means football. Football is the most famous and successful sport in Munich International School. The school takes pride of the football club. It has won three times in Ultimate Cup and three-time champion of Champions Cup. These cups involve students from different schools play against each other during summer. Ultimate Cup and Champions Cup happens twice a year. And both cups are one year apart from each other.

 

The school’s football team is called “Die Mannschaft”, which literary means the team. They called themselves Die Mannschaft because everyone plays as a team. There are no superstars in the team, and selfish behaviour is not allowed in the team. Mario plays in the second team of Die Mannschaft when he joined in the 6th grade. It is already a blessing to play in the second team at your first year of study because many people would have trade anything just to be a part of the prestigious football club Die Mannschaft. But of course, Mario would like to play in the first team one day.

 

Mario has two best friends, named Marco Reus and André Schürrle. He had known them since 1st grade and has been friends since then. Although André is now separated from them in different classes, their friendship still remains strong. Marco and André are playing in Die Mannschaft too, the two of them always make training fun. Sometimes Mario would bring them home after school for homework discussion and games. But let’s face it, it’s mostly for the games.

 

Kira is always happy whenever Mario brings the boys back home. That means she has another chance to see the tall blond boy. The boy named Marco Reus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that I completed this chapter! More exciting things to come!
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Mario is going for a tryout in the Die Mannschaft's 1st team. Will he make it?  
> \- A glimpse of Mats and Benni.


	2. The Try-Outs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario is trying out for the first team of the football team. Can he make it?

“Mario, we are going to be late! Can you be faster?” Kira says as she ties her long brunette hair into a ponytail. She is ready to go to school, with her white jersey and jeans. Kira always wears T-shirt and jeans to school. It was never skirts, just jeans. She is also always the one that has to wait for Mario to school every single day without fail. Today she is wearing a white football jersey to support her little brother for the football try-outs. 

 

“Mariiiooooooo!!!!” Kira calls again.

 

“Coming!!!” Mario answers. He grabs his black Nike sling bag and sprints downstairs. Kira is staring at him from the living room, with her hands on her hips. The 9th grader purses her lips and shakes her head. She is thinking,  _Why do I have such vain brother?_

 

“Are you plucking your eyebrows again?” Kira asks, giving a side eye to her brother.

 

“No! Of course not!” Mario manages to say. But Kira knows it is a lie. She knows Mario spends a big amount of time to style his hair and pluck his eyebrows every day to look perfect. In the contrast, Kira never plucks her eyebrows and she has the same ponytail every single day. 

 

“Okay, chop chop. Here is your breakfast. We are going to be late again.” Kira sighs as she did not want to dwell on Mario’s late issues anymore. They do not have time for that now. Leaving the house a minute late will cost them dearly. And when Kira starts nagging, it will be worst than her mom. Kira hands Mario a bag of pretzels, which is Mario’s favourite, and a little note. On the way out, Mario opens the note. It was from their mom.

 

_Super Mario,_

_Good luck on your try-outs! Hugs and kisses!_

-   _Mom_

 

Mario smiles and whispers "D _anke[1]_ _Mama[2]_ _."_

 

The Götze siblings just live a few blocks away from school so they walk to school every day. It is just a ten-minute walk but even living so near from school, they managed to be late, mostly thanks to Mario. But lateness seem to be a norm for them and they are not that bothered by it. Kira and Mario's usual conversations are mostly about football and the happening events in the school. Normally Mario is very chatty but today he is unusually quiet.

 

“And when the goalkeeper tried to…” Kira pauses when she realises her brother is not paying attention to her. She turns to the side, tilts her head, wondering what happened. There is definitely something different with her baby brother today.

 

“Hey, why are you so quiet today? Are you alright, Mario?” Kira furrows her brows as as grabs her brother's arm. She flicks Mario's fringe and places her left hand on her brother's forehead to check the temperature. The heat in Mario's forehead seems normal though. As Mario's second mom, Kira wants to make sure her only baby brother is alright since their parents have 

 

“I’m okay. Just a little bit of nerves, I guess.” Mario answered. “I hope I can get into the first team.”

 

“Of course you can. You’re Super Marioooooooo!!!” Kira shouted with her right fist thrown to the air, running in circles. She smiles at her little brother.

 

“Danke schön[3]!” Mario answered while he giggles.

 

“See that? Number 10, Götze.” said Kira. She turned her back to let Mario see the back of her jersey. Kira is Mario’s biggest fan ever since the boy started to play football. She sees Mario an exceptional football player, not only because he’s her brother. Because of Mario’s talent, she has high hopes for her baby brother to reach the first team in Die Mannschaft. Last year she was a bit disappointed when her brother did not make the cut. But this year might be a different story. Mario has been practicing his skills and he is more mature as a player compared to last year. Kira has no idea why she is in such a jolly mood today. Maybe today is going to be an awesome day.

 

Kira and Mario are just in time to reach school. _This is a great start to the day_ , Kira thinks. She waves goodbye to Mario and part ways to her classroom. Her classmate Thomas Müller greets her while she walks into the classroom.

 

“Guten morgen[4] Frau[5] Götze.” said Thomas with a grin.

 

”Und[6] Guten Morgen, Herr[7] Müller.” Kira answered with a smile. “You seem super confident, Tommy.”

 

“Well, kinda.” said Thomas as he winks his right eye. The boy has a valid reason to be confident. Thomas has been in the first team since 6th grade, and he is the top goal scorer in the previous Champions Cup. Although there will be try-outs every year, but it’s pretty much that a place is reserved for the 9th grader.

 

***

 

School seems to be longer today than usual for Mario. He can’t wait for the co-curriculum activities to start. His thoughts are full with the football try-outs. He's imagining about the try-outs: the types of test given, his own performance, etc. The 7th grader wasn’t even paying attention to any of the classes today, even in his history teacher Herr Jürgen Klopp’s class. Normally Mario pays full attention to his history teacher, as Herr Klopp can make anything interesting. But today his mind has wandered to the football field.

 

“Psst… Sunny, Sunny!” Marco whispered, trying to wake his best friend from daydreaming before the teacher realises it. But Mario did not respond. He is still caught up with his own world. 

 

“Mario!” Marco whispered again. Again, there is no response.

 

Herr Klopp notices Mario not paying attention in class. He stares Mario for a while, before calling him.

 

“Mario! Mario!”

 

“Mario!” Klopp yelled and smacked Mario’s head with a book.

 

“Ouch!” Mario screamed.

 

“Mario, please pay attention in class! I know today is the try-outs, but your education is equally important.” Klopp said in dismay.

 

“Yes, Herr Klopp.” Mario replied.

 

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!"

 

Fortunately, Mario is saved by the bell. It is the end of school. Everyone pack their bags and rush towards the classroom doors. It was a long day for Mario, but now he seems to be more energetic than ever. It’s time for the try-outs! Marco gives a pat on his shoulder.

 

“Are you alright, Sunny?” asked Marco in concern. “You’re not paying attention to Herr Klopp’s class. That was a first.”

 

“I’m okay, Marco.” Mario replied. He continues “So, that moment we’ve been waiting for is here. Are you ready?”

 

“I’ve been ready since born.” said Marco with a lopsided smile.

 

“Hey, are you guys going to be dating the whole day? Come on, I don’t want to be the last one in the try-outs.” André teased, as he is standing at Mario's classroom door. André’s classroom is a block away from Marco and Mario’s classroom. So it is very convenient to find his buddies after class for football practices.

 

“Last one to reach will treat everyone McDonalds!” André shouted as he dashes out.

 

“Hey, not fair! You’re already miles ahead!” said Mario as he follows.

 

“Yeah, you cheater!” said Marco as he runs.

 

Of course in the end, André was the first one to arrive the football field. Marco came in second, and Mario third. André is a fast runner, and even without the advantage he would have outrun both Marco and Mario. The boys ran from the classroom to the field, pant hard when they reached their destination. They see a big banner written: _Die Mannschaft Try-outs_. There is already a long queue in the football field. _Oh my god, this is going to be a long day_. Mario thinks.

 

Mario’s phone vibrates. He picks up his phone and it’s a message from Mr Götze. Mario taps his phone to read the message, and it goes like this:

 

_Hey Super Mario! I bought the match tickets for the Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund game. Go and make the Götze family proud!_

 

Mario smiles and replies the message with “ _Danke, Papa[8]._ ” Somehow after reading this message, Mario felt a big pressure on himself. Maybe it’s because of his family’s high hopes, or maybe it’s because of the football tickets. _What happens if I don’t make it?_ He thinks to himself.

 

“Mario!” A voice shouted his name. He turns his head to the side and smiles. It is his sister Kira. Kira isn’t the only girl who watches Die Mannschaft play. In fact, there are plenty of boys and girls watch them play at the side lines. The football team is famous in Munich International School as it is the most successful sport. Literary almost everyone watches them play. There is already a big crowd at the side of the field, mostly cheering for the popular boys. Kira even made a banner for Mario that reads _SUPER MARIO._

 

“Oh mein gott[9]!” Mario buried his head with his hands, but is secretly smiling. Although he enjoys his sister supporting him, he felt slightly embarrassed by her actions.

 

“Wow, your sister is so cool!” said Marco.

 

“You think so?” Mario questioned as he lifts his head up to look at his friend.

 

“Yeah, I wish I have a sister.” Marco replied.

 

“Yeah, me too!” said André. "My brother never does that for me."

 

“But I don’t think she’s my sister though. She doesn’t even wear dresses.” Mario replied. It’s true. Mrs Götze has to beg the 9th grader to wear a dress for weddings. Kira just doesn’t wear dresses in her own will.

 

***

 

“Benni, Benni!” Mats said while waving his right hand to Benni.

 

“Shhh… stop it, Mats! I can’t talk to you right now!” Benni whispered.

 

“Why not? We’re in Die Mannschaft now.” Mats said in a sad face.

 

“Oh. Sorry, I forgot.” Benni replied sheepishly.

 

Benedikt “Benni” Höwedes is a top student in the Schalke Haus[10] while his buddy Mats Hummels is the top student in his rival house, which is the Borussia Haus. All houses are competitive with each other, but the rivalry between the Schalke Haus and Borussia Haus is extreme. Students from these houses do not to speak with anyone from the rival house. Nobody knows the real reason. They only know their respective teachers do not talk with each other either. But there is one exception to this rule. The football team. Everyone is allowed to talk freely with the students from the opposing house in Die Mannschaft. Not even the teachers can stop it because the football team is the most important club in the school.

 

“It’s okay. I forgive you.” said Mats with a grin. “By the way, you look cute when you’re worried, Benni.”

 

“What? That’s not true!” Benni replied.

 

Mats and Benni had known each other since grundschule[11]. They always hang out with each other in Grundschule. But since attending gymnasium[12], they are placed in different houses. To make it worse, they are placed in the rival houses. So it’s hard for both of them to talk with each other during school. And they can’t text each other as it’s strictly forbidden to use mobile phones during classes.

 

“Mats, what if I can’t make it again?” asked Benni with a frown. The blond hair boy has a reason to be worried. Both Mats and Benni has been trying to be on the first team since the 6th grade. Last year they were shortlisted but was denied to the likes of Arne Friedrich and Holger Badstuber in the last call up. They are not getting any younger, as both are in 9th grade now. This year it’s now or never.

 

Mats grabs Benni’s shoulders and stares the blond hair boy with his sexy dark brown eyes. He says “Benni, trust me! We will make it this time!”

 

Benni stunned for a while. He looks at Mats with his dark brown eyes. Mats has dreamy eyes that somehow relaxes Benni. Then Benni's smile came back. But that smile didn’t last long, as there is a loud voice coming from the side of the football field.

 

“MAAAAAAAAAAAAATS! I LOVE YOU!!!”

 

It was from the girls. Mats get these things from time to time. He is the Orlando Bloom of Munich International School. The majority of the girls in school are swoon over his sexy eyes. But it didn’t bother him. He often waves back to the girls. Sometimes the dark brown hair boy would find it amusing, especially when training is boring. He would even imitate the girls’ screaming with the other boys in the team.

 

But Benni, on the other hand, finds it annoying. He cringes whenever girls scream for Mats. Benni has his own share of fans as well, like Philipp Lahm, Toni Kroos, Marco and even Mario. But none of their fan bases is as massive as Mats’ fan base. It didn’t annoy Benni when girls screamed his name or any of the other guys’ names. But with Mats, it’s highly annoying for the blond boy. What is it that annoys Benni so much? Is it because Mats’ fans are too obnoxious? Is it too loud and frequent? Or is it because of other reasons?

 

“BENNI!!!” Mats screamed with a high pitch voice, with both fists on his cheeks. Benni was shocked, and then he stares at the dark brown hair boy.

 

“Mats, you look ridiculous.” Benni muttered.

 

“Aww… Is my Benni jealous?” Mats teased him.

 

“Shut up!” Benni shot back.

 

***

 

 _"I can do it, Mario Götze!"_ Mario said to himself. Hopefully his spirits won’t go down by the time his turn comes.

 

The try-outs have officially begun. There are five categories to be tested. Speed, dribbling, passing, reflex and shooting. The captain of Die Mannschaft Philipp Lahm is explaining the rules and processes to the hopefuls. Other than the captain and vice-captain, everyone has to take part in the try-outs in order to be in the first team. Even for the 12th graders such as Miroslav Klose, who has been in the first team since he joined Die Mannschaft on his 6th grade.

 

Philipp is judging their performance today along with vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and advisor Joachim Löw. Today is probably not a good day for some of the hopefuls, as Herr Löw is in Simon Cowell mode. An hour has past, and Herr Löw has eliminated more than a hundred hopefuls.

 

“Horrible. This is a complete disaster.”

 

“Look, I’m sorry I have to stop this. It was a wreck.”

 

“You can’t dribble, you can’t pass, so what do you want me to say?”

 

After an hour and a half of dreadful performance, Herr Löw almost wanted to leave the try-outs, but thankfully Philipp and Bastian managed to convince him to stay.

 

Mario’s confidence drops drastically after hearing those words. If his confidence meter was 100 in the last hour, now it is probably 15. Things aren’t looking good for the 7th grader. André pats Mario’s shoulder, signaling him that everything is gonna be alright. Mario lets out a forced smile.

 

It is Mario’s turn for the shooting test. The poor boy’s legs are shaking. Deep inside his heart he thinks " _I can’t lose, I have to get into the team, I can’t let my family down, and those football tickets…"_

 

The whistle blows. Mario positions himself, takes a deep breath and then kicks the ball.

 

The ball flew to the air. Even a blind man could sense that it was off target. Everybody else is frozen for half a minute, eyes open wide, mouths hanging wide until Herr Löw shouts "Next!!!"

 

“Oh no!” Marco cried. He runs towards Herr Löw and pleas “Please give him another chance, Herr Löw, it was just nerves. He wasn’t always like this.”

 

But Herr Löw ignores Marco’s plea and continue "Next!!!"

 

“No! You can’t do that!” A voice came from the side of the field. It was Kira. She comes forward the field to defend her little brother. “He has stomach virus today! You can’t disqualify him just because he’s unwell. This is just not fair…”

 

“He does?” André wondered while furrowing his brows. He turns his head to Mario, who seemed pretty fine to him. Mario tried to stop Kira from babbling, and suddenly...

 

*BANG!!!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Danke – "thank you" in German  
> [2] Mama - Mom  
> [3] Danke schön – "Thank you very much" in German  
> [4] Guten Morgen – "Good morning" in German  
> [5] Frau – "Ms" or "Mrs" in German  
> [6] Und – "and" in German  
> [7] Herr – "Mr" in German  
> [8] papa - dad  
> [9] Oh mein gott – "Oh my god" in German  
> [10] Haus - "house" in German  
> [11] Grundschule – primary school in Germany  
> [12] Gymnasium – Secondary school in Germany
> 
> Thank you again for reading this fanfic! I'm so happy that this chapter is finished! I wrote this chapter with the prologue so it came out really fast.
> 
> The Borussia House and Schalke House idea came from Harry Potter. I'm not a big fan of Harry Potter, but this seems to work well with the story. 
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Will Mario make it to the first team?  
> \- Someone is crazy about Mats.  
> \- This is not the end


	3. No Excuses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario is given a second chance for the try-outs. 
> 
> Who will be shortlisted in the Die Mannschaft's first team?

“Kira! Kira!”

 

“KIRA!!!”

 

“Ugh… can you just shut up?” muttered Kira. There are ongoing voices and buzzing sound that annoys her. She also feels an excruciating pain on the back of her head. _Why is that?_  She opens her eyes slowly. There is a bunch of people surrounding and starring at her.

 

“Sis, you woke up!” said Mario in delight. He has a bright smile on his face, relieved to see his sister finally conscious.

 

“What happened?” asked Kira in half conscious. She places her hand on her head to ease the pain.

 

“Uhm… Hi! I’m sorry. I kinda kicked the ball and it sorta hit your head.” Answered 7th grader Christoph Kramer. The poor boy didn't even dare to look at Kira in the eye. He reacted when Herr Löw mentioned the word “Next”. Kira was standing near to the target, and the ball hit the back of her head.

 

“Ouch… Where’s Marco?” asked Kira who is still half conscious. Her head still feels pain.

 

“You mean Mario? He’s right here.” Marco answered and he points his finger to Mario, which is standing beside him.

 

“Kira, are you sure you’re alright? You said your brother’s name wrongly.” asked Philipp with a concerned face. He wanted to speak more, but he was interrupted by the sound of an opening door. Everyone look towards the door's direction. It was André.

 

“Hey! Good news! The coach said he will give Mario another chance!” said André with a grin.

 

“Great! Kiki, your efforts are not wasted.” said Thomas to Kira with a grin.

 

***

 

“Baby, baby, baby, oh  
Like baby, baby, baby, no~”

 

*tap*

 

Marco snoozes his alarm and peeks at his phone with his half opened eyes. It is 7 am. He puts down the phone, stretches his arms and neck, and then gets up from his bed. He opens the windows with both hands. The summer sun is shining brightly at him, birds are chirping with joy, and there’s a mild wind blowing into the room. August has been kind to him so far, and he has a feeling that more good things will come. The boy grins.

 

It is the day of the 2nd try-out. The try-out was supposed to be held within a day, but due to unusual circumstances, they had to call off the try-out during Mario’s turn. There are still around 30 students yet to be tested, and that includes Mario, Marco, and André. As usual Kira stands on the side supporting her brother. She painted a bee on her right hand as a sign of supporting a boy that she loves.

 

"Hey, what's that?" asked the curious Thomas while pointing to Kira's right hand.

 

"Nothing. I just think it's cute." Kira answered nervously as she hides her hand with the jacket sleeve.

 

"I asked you what is on your hand. Not why. And why are you acting so nervous?" Thomas questioned Kira with a raising eyebrow. The boy leans forward with a suspicious thought. He puts his right hand at his chin, trying to figure out his friend's actions.

 

"Oh, nothing. Haha... it's a honey bee. Buzzzzzz...." Kira answered with a forced smile, hoping that Thomas won't ask further questions. 

 

Thomas isn't convinced by Kira's answer but decided to let it slide for now as he wants to put his focus on the football field. Thomas has already completed his test last Thursday. Today he wants to check out his competitors' strength and weakness. Although Thomas looks goofy for most of the time, but he is very serious when it comes to football. 

 

Philipp asks everyone to queue up according to the numbers given from the previous day. Mario is the first person in line. Although he had already completed three tests on the previous day, Herr Löw insists him to start all over. The first test is passing.

 

 _It’s just receiving the ball, tap twice and send it back. How hard can that be?_ Mario tries to comfort himself, but it isn't working. The young boy is very nervous. His palms are sweaty and his legs are shaking. But the show must go on. He can’t give up now. The boy has spent countless days working on his football skills for this moment. And he has no excuses for not making it this time.

 

Suddenly, a hand taps on his shoulder. Mario turns his head to the side, and it was Marco.

 

“Coach, can I go first?” asked Marco.

 

Herr Löw nods.

 

Marco glances Mario and says with a smile “Follow my footsteps.”

 

The whistle blows and the ball boy throws the ball. Marco receives the ball from the ballboy with his ankle and taps the ball again with his knee, before kicking it back to the boy ball. It was as if he was flirting with the ball.

 

 _"_ Ahh… pure perfection." Kira mouthed. She records Marco's actions on her Samsung Galaxy Note. Her thoughts were snapped when a voice nearby shocked her.

 

“MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATS!!!”

 

It was Jackie Rodriguez. Jackie is Kira’s friend and is Mats’ biggest fan. She is the president of the Mats Hummels Fan Club. The girl is always there to support Mats no matter rain or shine.

 

“God dammit, Jackie! You’re going to make me deaf. It’s not even Mats’ turn!” Kira shots back.

 

“Kira, did you see that? Mats is waving to me!” squeals Jackie. The girl didn't even listen to Kira's words.

 

“Yeah, whatever…” Kira said as she rolls her eyes. She lets out a huge sigh. The brunette girl wanted to cheer for Marco badly. But she thinks it might be awkward to do so. Marco isn’t her boyfriend or even a close friend. Although they have known each other for years, but he is just Mario’s friend. Kira and Marco don’t share long conversations. It was always short and casual conversations. The 'hello' and 'how are you' type. Suddenly, she got an idea. She could cheer for Marco together with Mario’s name. That wouldn’t sound so awkward, right?

 

“Marco! Mario! Go go go!!!” Kira cheered.

 

Both Marco and Mario turn their heads to Kira and smile to the girl.

 

“Hey! How about me? Your sister has forgotten me!” André complaints to Mario. Mario gives him a weak smile.

 

“And André! Woohoo!!!” Kira cheered.

 

In the field, Marco completed the tests with perfect scores. Mario saw the whole process and somehow he feels calm. All the pressure that he had on himself has already thrown out of the window. The young boy is finally smiling. And it is now his turn. It turns out that Mario did particularly well in the shooting and passing tests. When he finishes his tests, he turns his head to Marco and André and then his sister, and smiles to them. Kira gives him a thumbs up. All is well.

 

There were also several people that did well on that day. Mario isn't sure if he makes the cut. But at least he knew he did his best. After all participants completed their test, vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger says to the hopefuls "Thank you for participating in the try-outs. The results will be posted on the notice board tomorrow."

 

***

 

Everyone gathered at the notice board on the next day, anxiously waiting for the result. Kira got herself a perfect spot as she came in way earlier than most of the people. She has been waiting for an hour.  _Can this be any longer? Why don't they just announce it yesterday?_ She thinks. Finally after the long wait, Bastian came with a large sheet of paper on his hand. He sticks the paper to the notice board. The names are listed according to alphabetical order of last names.

 

"Reus, Reus, Reus, Reus, Reus, Reus, Reus..." she mouthed while she is looking for Marco's name. "Oh my god!" she shouted with joy when she saw the name _Reus, Marco_. Then she continues to find Mario's name. It's there as well. She closes her eyes and puts both hands on her face to cry. It is too good to be true.

 

Mario, Marco, and André are in the crowd too, but they are far away from the notice board. Mario could not see a thing from the notice board. His view is blocked by the taller guys at the front. The tiny boy is frustrated.

 

"Marco, André, do you guys see anything?" he asked.

 

"Erm... wait a second..." Marco replied while trying to peek through the spaces between the people in front. "Boateng, Bender... Damn, it's hard to see."

 

"Höwedes, Khedira... They should sort it according to the first name. Then my name will be on top." said André, who is also struggling to see the names. He jumps for a few times, trying to get a glimpse of the list.

 

Meanwhile, Mats and Benni are in the crowd too.

 

"Benni! Your name is there, and so is mine!" said Mats with joy.

 

"Yeah, but it's not the end. We went through the try-outs last year too." said Benni. "The real test is the next round."

 

Benni is right. The try-outs is just the first part of the test. There is a second round. Only 40 people will be invited to the next round. The participants will need to play a football match. The first team will be chosen based on the performance in the competition. Advisor Joachim Löw and assistant Oliver Bierhoff will be judging this football match.

 

In this round, even the captain and vice captain have to take part in the football match with no exception. But captains are captains for a reason. They will always excel and get through the shortlist. And the current captain is no fluke. Philipp Lahm is one of those people they called a child prodigy. He is literary good in everything. The pocket size captain is the best defender in school, a top student in his grade, and an editor of the school magazine. He speaks German, English, and a little Spanish. He is also learning Chinese. One would think, is he really human? And on top of that, Bayern München has been knocking on his door, just waiting for the boy to sign the papers. But education is important for Philipp. His priority still lies on completing Gymnasium.

 

The football match is like any ordinary match with 90 minutes. The participants will be placed into two teams. 22 people will start the game and the others will have to wait for their turn. However, there are no limits of substitutions in the game. The coaches will call out names from time to time to change the players. At the end of 90 minutes, the coaches will decide who will be shortlisted for the first team. The starting lineup of the red team consists of Weidenfeller, Mustafi, Hummels, Großkreutz, Gündoğan, Schweinsteiger,  Badstuber, Bellarabi, Özil, Podolski and Klose. And the white team consists of Wiese, Höwedes, Mertesacker, Lahm, Boateng, Khedira, Bender, Kroos, Götze, Reus and Müller.

 

"What? I'm not in the starting lineup?" André pouted.

 

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get your chance." said Mario to comfort his friend. But the actual fact is, he is worried about himself too. Getting into the starting lineup does not guarantee a spot in the first team. He can already feel the tense atmosphere in the field even before it started. This game is more intense any other game. One mistake and you could be out of the competition. One mistake and you may say goodbye to the first team. Marco lay his hands on both André and Mario, giving them a confident boost. Mario and André smile back at Marco.

 

The whistle blows signaling the start of the game. The red team starts by kicking the ball. Both teams are nervous, thus kept dispossess their ball. Bastian passes the ball to Karim Bellarabi, but Philipp snatches the ball from Karim. The pocket size captain then sends a long ball forward to Marco. Marco receives the ball and shoots the ball to the goal. The red team's goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller is not able to reflex to the situation. And the ball goes in.

 

"Goal!!!"

 

"It's offside." said Kira, who is standing at the side of the football field.

 

The linesman whistles and raises a flag signaling the ball is offside.

 

"What happened? Didn't the ball just get in? Why they didn't count that goal?" the confused Jackie asked.

 

"It's not counted because it's offside." said Kira.

 

"What's offside?" asked Jackie. 

 

"Attacking players can't stand behind the opponent's defender before receiving the ball." Kira explained.

 

"Who the hell invented that rule?" Jackie pouted.

 

Kira rolls her eyes and continues to watch the game. She is too lazy to explain to Jackie further because the Latino girl just wouldn't bother to remember those football terms anyway.

 

At the field, Mario tries to shoot the ball, but Mats saw it coming and clears it with a clean tackle.

 

Per Mertesacker fouls Lukas Podolski, and the red team got a free kick. Mesut Özil takes the free kick. He kicks above the wall. Mats rushes to get the ball, and he sees goalkeeper Tim Wiese is trying to catch the ball. Mats uses his head to get the ball into the net, almost collide with the goalkeeper. And the ball went in.

 

"Goal!!!"

 

The red team scores a goal. The members of the red team rush to celebrate with Mats.

 

"Hummels! You're out!"

 

"What??!!" a number of players shouted at the same time. They could not believe what has just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, this chapter is complete. I've used some of the time writing it in the train while going to work. Time is money, yo!
> 
> Yup, I'm gonna drag the competition to the next chapter. I hope it's not too long winded. It's the first time it writes about a football match. I don't think I did the story justice, but I'm trying to improve it. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better.
> 
> I wish I could insert some pictures into the story, so it look nicer. But I have no idea how to do it. I'm really bad at these things. :(
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- The aftermath of Mats departure from the game  
> \- The twist of the game  
> \- A perfect teamwork  
> \- Die Mannschaft first team is complete


	4. Chasing Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The match to get into the first team. Finally the team is chosen. Who made the cut?

"Hummels, you're out" said Herr Löw.

 

"WHAT???!!!" said Jackie, who is angry about the coach's decision. "Is he insane? Mats just scored! Last year and this year he eliminated Mats! Does he hates Mats that much?! I'm going to start a petition to kick the coach out from this school." The latino girl logs into Facebook and starts to create a web page 'Petition to kick Herr Joachim Löw from Die Mannschaft.'

 

Kira, who is standing beside Jackie strikes out Mats' name in her notebook. She shakes her head and bites her lower lips. This is way out of her prediction. The brunette girl is keeping track of the selection process. She even did a list of the candidates. She divided her list into three categories. The ones she thinks will get in (yes), the possible ones (maybe) and the ones she thinks that are not good enough for the team (no). The yes list includes Marco, Marco, André, Thomas, Philipp, Bastian, Mesut, Mats, Benni...

 

"Kira, can you explain this?" asked Jackie.

 

"Ich weiß es nicht[1], Jackie. I have no idea." Kira answered.

 

"Well, what happened to your football knowledge, Ms Know it all?"Jackie asked in sarcasm. 

 

But Kira is telling the truth. She did not understand the logic of Mats' elimination. Yes, he did a risky move but that did not deserve an elimination. Moreover, Mats actually did well in the first few minutes of the game. Even Mats himself could not believe what has happened to him. What did he do wrong to deserve this elimination? He felt angst, but couldn't do anything as the decision has been made. He can only stare at Herr Löw, eyes piercing at his coach. Löw tried to ignore eye contact with Mats. Erik Drum comes in to replace Mats.

 

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Herr Löw is booed by the crowd, who seem to disagree with his decision.

 

"Congratulations for being the most hated man in school, Joachim!" said the assistant coach Oliver.

 

"Thanks to your stupid idea, Bierhoff!" Herr Löw sneered.

 

"Well, it would be a good test for the boys. Don't you think?" Oliver replied. "If they can't handle this pressure, how will they do in the world stage?"

 

"But..." said Löw.

 

"Sooner or later they will find out our trick anyway. These kids are not stupid." said Oliver.

 

In the field, Mario took a glance of Marco. Marco seems to be affected by Mats' elimination. "Marco, don't put your guard down!" Mario called his friend. He gives Marco an eye, and Marco responds with a nod.

 

Die Mannschaft captain Philipp Lahm is pondering about Mat's elimination. "Hmm... why would the coach eliminate Mats?" he says. "Thomas, don't you think it's weird?"

 

"We have no time to think about others, Fips. My eyes are only on the prize." Thomas replied.

 

Maybe Thomas is right. There is no time to think about others. This is the only match that is a make or break into the first team. Even though Philipp is the captain, but there are no guarantees that he will make it to the 1st team. Philipp shrugs off his thoughts and focuses on the game. Meanwhile most of the players in the field are affected by Mats' departure, especially Benni. He couldn't even stop a single ball. The blond boy kept dispossess the ball. Roman had to make amends for his mistakes, and the goalkeeper became furious with Benni. 

 

"Benni, what the hell are you doing?! You're gonna make us suicide!" Roman shouted at him.

 

Per saw the situation and goes over to Benni, trying to comfort the younger boy. "Hey Benni, stay strong! Mats didn't want to see you like this."

 

"I can't help it, Per, I can't help it." said Benni, who turns his head to Per, trying to hold back his tears.

 

Mats looks at Benni hopelessly at the side of the football field. His heart is shattered when he sees Benni's performance goes down. He still hopes Benni could make it to the first team despite he himself has already eliminated. He tries to reach out to the blond boy, but his voice couldn't reach him. "No, Benni! Not you! Don't lose hope! Please!"

 

"Hmm... the players are falling out. Especially Benni, he isn't in a good shape." said Löw, shaking his head. 

 

"But there are also some that are not fazed by our little twist." said Oliver, who refers to Philipp and Thomas.

 

Few minutes later Philipp dribbles past İlkay Gündoğan and Bastian, but defenders Shkodran Mustafi and Kevin Großkreutz has already marked him. Philipp is forced to a corner. The little guy kicks the ball to the left side. But there was no one. 

 

"Tommy!" said Kira.

 

This moment, Thomas came out of nowhere and kicks the ball with his right foot. Goalkeeper Roman did not forecast this. And the ball went in.

 

"GOAL!!!!"

 

The white team celebrates Thomas' goal.

 

"That dork boy is always lucky!" said Jackie.

 

"No, it's not a lucky shot." said Kira. Kira is right. Thomas isn't the best dribbler in the team, but he has a unique talent. The skinny boy is called a Raumdeuter[2] for a reason. He is great at finding blank spaces. The dork boy always has a quick thinking. His intelligence forecasts that Philipp will pass the ball so he ran to a blank space. Props for Philipp who also forecasts Thomas will retrieve his ball. Nothing less from the captain.

 

"Lahm, Müller, you're out!" said Herr Löw.

 

"Hmm... so this is the case..." Philipp thinks to himself.

 

"What?! Wait a second! Wait a second! Coach, are you saying that you're changing me out? Me? Thomas Müller who just scored a goal is out?! Are you mad?! I need an explanation right now!" asked the furious Thomas. He kept on yapping on his coach, demanding for an answer.

 

"Erm... Well, Thomas, listen to me..." Löw tries to explain and calm the student, but Thomas kept shooting words to him like a machine gun.

 

"Your coach is right. You are out of the game. This game decides who will be in the Die Mannschaft first team. The ones that we think are good will be changed out. And they are the chosen ones." The assistant coach explains.

 

"That means..." said Thomas.

 

"That means Mats, Philipp and Thomas are the chosen ones. There are now only 19 places left in the team." Oliver explains to them.

 

"Ha, I knew it!" Thomas exclaimed with joy.

 

The whole football field seems to be frozen for a second. This game has just changed 360°. Some of the players have started to panic while others are relieved. After Philipp and Thomas went out, Marcel Schmelzer and Mario Gómez took their places. Benni closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and then exhales. He is so glad that Mats is in the team. Mats, on the other hand, is dumbfounded. He blinks his eyes for a few times, wondering if this whole game is just a prank on him. But now the dark brown hair boy has another thing to worry. Benni. His buddy isn't doing so well on the pitch.

 

"I'm waiting for you, Benni. Don't screw this!" Mats whispered to himself while looking at Benni. Benni glances to Mats and gives him a smile. Mats could see Benni's eyes have changed. The good old Benni is back. Maybe Mats shouldn't have to worry that much after all.

 

"Only 19 spots left, we have to get there faster." Mario said to Marco. And Marco nods. Marco dribbles the ball past 2 players. He looks at the left side but passes the ball to Mario, which is on his right side, steering his opponents to the other side. Mario retrieves the ball and passes back to Marco. Marco shoots the ball and it goes to the back of the net.

 

"GOAL!!!"

 

Marco looks at Mario, and the small boy already knew what is going to happen. Marco celebrates his goal with Mario by jumping together, bumping their shoulders with each other. That is Marco and Mario's signature celebration. They always do it whenever one of them assist the other for a goal.

 

A few minutes after, the red team gets a free kick. Mesut is taking the free kick. He kicks the ball to the side of the wall, and the ball curved to the right corner of the goal.

 

"GOAL!!!"

 

"What a beautiful free kick!" said Kira.

 

It's only 15 minutes left in the game. Miro got the ball and went past Per to aim for the goal.

 

"Benni!" Per shouted as he puts his hopes on his teammate.

 

"I'm on it!" Benni replied as he clears the ball. The ball went out.

 

At the last few minutes of the first half, the red team kept attacking, but their goals are denied by thanks to the good defense from Benni and Per. 2 minutes before halftime, Bastian passes the ball to Lukas. Lukas attempts to shoot, but his shot was denied by the goalkeeper. The whistle blows, and the first half is finished. The players head to a corner to rest and re-hydrate. Most of the players are discussing their performance on the pitch and guessing who will make the final cut.

 

"That was an awesome goal!" said André as he exchange secret handshakes with Macro.

 

"Ahem..." said Mario as he clears his throat.

 

"And an awesome assist." André continues.

 

"Mats!" Benni shouted as he runs over to Mats. Mats looks at the blond hair boy and smiles.

 

"Mats, I'm so happy that you've made it!" exclaimed the blond hair boy. He pulls Mats over for a hug when he reaches.

 

"And you got me worried for a while." said the dark brown hair boy. "Please don't do this to me anymore."

 

"I'm sorry." Benni replied with a smile.

 

"Okay, boys. I will announce the chosen ones after the first half. Reus, Höwedes, Özil, Wiese, Boateng, Bender, Klose, Gündoğan, and Kroos." said assistant coach Oliver. "And the ones that are going in are Schürrle, Zieler, Rudy..."

 

"Benni! You're made it!" exclaimed Mats with joy.

 

"Yeah, finally!" Benni replied with a grin. Mats hugs his friend as tightly as possible. He almost going to cry.

 

Marco gives André a pat, who will come in for the 2nd half. They exchange smiles with each other.

 

"It's my time to shine!" said André with a grin.

 

"Make sure you do. I won't forgive you and Mario if you guys didn't make it to the team." said Marco. He looks at Mario, a lets out a huge sigh. Mario looks back at him.

 

"No worries, Marco. I'll get in. It's a promise." the little boy said with a smile.

 

"Hmm... Mario isn't chosen..." said Kira. She bites her lower lip and starts to get worried about her brother. She should be because there are only 10 places left in the team. But she's glad that Marco did make it, though. Kira starts to analyze the possibilities of Mario getting into the team. Mario is an attacking midfielder and he could also play winger and false 9. And those positions are currently occupied by Marco, Thomas, Mesut, Toni, and İlkay. So far, there are 1 goalkeeper, 4 defenders, 6 midfielders and 1 striker that made it into the team. If the coaches decide on 2 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 10 midfielders and 2 strikers, then it only left  4 midfielders. But within the chosen midfielders, most of them are attacking midfielders and central midfielders, which are Mario's position. If the coach decides to choose 3 defending midfielders, then it only left 1 space. This doesn't look good for Mario. Kira kept thinking and twirling her pencil with her left hand with no avail.

 

It's the start of the 2nd half. The white team starts by kicking the ball. 5 minutes into the second half, André shoots the ball from 40 yards away. And the ball goes in.

 

"GOAL!!!" 

 

André celebrated his goal by running and sliding, kneeling on his knees. He shouts the word "yeah".

  
"You can see the excitement in that boy." laughed Oliver as he said.

 

On the other hand, Lukas is getting nervous. The younger players are playing better than he expected. He kept losing the ball. The coaches saw Lukas' performance and shake their heads. Few minutes after, the match is stopped for a while as Sami Khedira was injured. Bastian took the opportunity to speak with Lukas.

 

"Lukas, what were you thinking? Just because the others performed a little better you became so unsure of yourself? You're too affected by their performance. We're in the first team since 8th grade and I don't want to give up that easily. We've been through so many ups and downs in the last three years, you know. You're the only one that can bring the best in my football. I'm going to keep passing the ball to you until get it." Bastian said to Lukas.

 

"Basti..." said Lukas. He is moved by Bastian's statement.

 

The game resumes and the next few minutes, Bastian kept passing the ball to Lukas whenever he has the chance. At last, Lukas managed to fire a goal. He looks at Bastian and gives him a grin and wink.

 

"Silly boy..." said Bastian as he shakes his head, but secretly his is smiling.

 

"Are you going to make some changes?" Oliver asked Joachim.

 

"Mmm... let's watch until the end, shall we?" said Löw.

 

Just 2 minutes before the end of the game, Mario got the ball from Sami. He dribbles past two players and shoots the ball. The ball went in.

 

"GOAL!!!"

 

The final whistle blows. It is the end of the game. Mario closes his eyes, takes a deep breath and let the wind blow his hair. He had done his best in the game. Now it is up to the coaches to decide if he is good enough for the team. The final announcement will be made in the school hall at 6 pm. The students went to the locker rooms to get their belonging and head to shower before getting to the school hall. During the break, the students are bickering about the final cut of the first team. At 5.50pm, everyone rushes to the school hall and find a place to sit down for the announcement. Marco, Mario, and André sits on the same row. Marco pats on Mario's shoulder and Mario returns him with a smile. It is now 6.10pm, but the coaches are still nowhere to be found. The students are chatting and debating about each others performances.

 

"It will be suck if I didn't get in the first team after that goal." said André.

 

"I'm sure you will get in!" said Marco and Mario at the same time. Then both boys look at each other and laugh.

 

At last, the coaches arrive the school hall. "I'm so sorry to be late. Thank you for participating in the game. Everyone have done a fantastic job. I wish I could pick every one of you, but unfortunately we only have 22 places in the team. For the ones that are not chosen, please do not give up. You all are still young and you still have the potential to succeed in the future." said the coach Joachim. "And now, I would like to announce the final members of the first team. Schmelzer, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Schürrle, Podolski, Badstuber, Mertesacker,  Zieler, Gómez and Götze."

 

Marco turns his head to Mario as soon as he heard the younger boy's name, and hugs him as tightly as possible, as if as he will lose Mario. "Mario, you did it!" said Marco as tears started to flow from his eyes.

 

"No Marco. WE did it!" Mario replied with a bright smile.

 

"Yeah, we did it!" André added as he hugs both boys.

 

After the announcement, the players came out from the school hall. There were many happy and sad faces. Kira tries to look for her brother from the crowd. She kept on moving her head from side to side. At last she found him. Mario came out with Marco and André, but the little boy didn't look happy. Kira runs to her brother.

 

"Mario?" she looks at her baby brother and tries to comfort him by hugging the young boy. "It's okay. You're still young. There's always next year."

 

"Sis, you're squishing my Die Mannschaft jersey." said Mario.

 

"What?" asked the confused Kira as she pulls away from her brother.

 

"My first team jersey. You're going to wrinkle it." said Mario.

 

"Oh my god!" Kira exclaimed and snuggles her baby brother. Mario laughed. Then, Kira lets her brother go.

 

"Hey, then why did you looked so sad just now?" asked Kira.

 

"Oh, they don't have my size. This is L size." Mario replied.

 

"You..." Kira said as she stared at her little brother with her hands on her hips and pouts. Marco, Mario, and André laugh at her.

 

***

 

"And now, for the award of the best new footballer. And the winner is... Marioooo Götzeeeeeeeee" said Kira.

  
"Danke, danke. Wow, this is an incredible honour. First off, I would like to thank god, Papa, and Mama who support and encourage me to play football, I love you more than anything. My sister Kira, thank you for being my number 1 fan and being my goalkeeper. My best friend Marco and André who always spend the time to practice with me. You guys made me a better player. And lastly, my teammates, you know who you are. And my fans. I love you and thank you!" said Mario with joy.

 

Marco smiled when Mario made that speech. And he shed a tear. A happy tear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Ich weiß es nicht - I do not know  
> [2] Raumdeuter - space interpreter
> 
> Ahhh.... finally got this chapter done. I'm struggling to write this chapter... I hope it turns out okay. This selection method is not my original idea. It's from a manga called "Whistle!". I love that manga very much. It actually teaches me football when I was a kid.
> 
> A little reference of Marco's secret handshakes with his Dortmund teammates.
> 
> That random award ceremony at the end is just for fun... teehee... :P
> 
> Yes, if you noticed the list, it's actually the list of Euro 2012 squad, and someone is missing. Yes, I did that on purpose. But I can't tell you why. At least not now.
> 
> Thank you for liking my story! I'm so happy that it receives 20 kudos!!! :D I'm so excited about the next chapter! :D 
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- how Kira falls in love  
> \- Marco tries to impress someone  
> \- Mario's true feelings


	5. That Ed Sheeran Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How it all begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the chapter: Ed Sheeran - Thinking out loud
> 
> Read this chapter with the song, trust me!

It all started with a song. An Ed Sheeran song to be exact. A month has passed from that day. But she still remembered the day that she overheard Marco sang that song with his acoustic guitar at the Götze living room during the summer break.

 

_"So honey now_

_Take me into your loving arms_

_Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

_Place your head on my beating heart_

_I'm thinking out loud_

_That maybe we found love right where we are"_

 

Kira has known Marco for years. But he was always just Mario's friend. There is no special relationship between her and Marco, but she is always fond of the green-eyed boy. Well, who wouldn't? Marco is a well-mannered kid and an extraordinary football player. People just adore him. But it wasn't until that Ed Sheeran song she develops strong feelings for him. The feeling called love. There is something charming about Marco when he sang that song. His green eyes shined bright like a diamond. It was the most beautiful eyes that she ever saw. She was standing at the kitchen counter, with her arms placed flat, and her head resting on her arms. Her heart melted as she is charmed by Marco's voice. The brunette girl pictures herself dancing and kissing Marco. She would trade anything just to have that moment again.

 

"Ding dong!" the doorbell rings. Kira opens the door. It was Marco at the door. He is wearing a black cap backward, a tight yellow T-Shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. The skinny blond boy is holding an acoustic guitar on his right hand. Today just might be her lucky day. 

 

"Is Mario here?" he asked.

 

"Yeah, he's in the living room." Kira answered as she lets Marco in. 

 

Marco, Mario, and André are three best friends that share a lot in common. The three boys are passionate about football and desire to be a professional footballer. Off the pitch, they love music. The boys love to sing at the locker room before and after games. Sometimes it drives Herr Löw crazy. And lately they have been obsessed with guitars. André was the culprit of this obsession. Today, André is teaching Mario to play Keith Uban's 'Til Summer Comes Around in the living room.

 

*guitar strumming*

 

"No, no, no... It's Am7, F, G." said André.

 

Mario is struggling to get the cords right. It's hard as he has short chubby fingers. It always seems so easy for Marco and André as they have long and thin fingers. The little boy wishes that he would grow taller like his friends. He hates his short chubby fingers. Marco came in the living room and smiles. He heard the song and he starts strumming his guitar to the song.

 

*guitar strumming*

 

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." said the frustrated Mario as he tries again.

 

Marco laughs. He thinks Mario is cute when the little boy is frustrated. Marco joins the other two boys to practice. Kira is standing beside them, watching the boys practicing. The boys are having fun practicing. They experiment with different playing styles and compare which one is better. Kira bites her lower lips and procrastinates about asking Marco to sing that song. At last she couldn't take it anymore, and opens her mouth.

 

"Uhm... Marco, can I make a song request?" she asked with a shy smile. 

 

"Yeah, sure." Marco replied, with a little-surprised expression.

 

"Can you sing that Ed Sheeran song? Thinking out loud?" she asked with anticipation.

 

"Uhm..." Marco hesitated.

 

That Ed Sheeran song isn't just any song. It wasn't supposed to be sung with other audience. It is the song that Marco wanted to declare his love to Mario. But Mario probably didn't know that. The tall boy did not outright declare his love to Mario. He just uses this song to test if Mario has any feelings towards him. But Mario was just cool about it. The chubby boy smiled when Marco sung it, but nothing extraordinary happened after the song. Marco wondered if he should progress it further. What if Mario viewed him only as a friend? It would be so awkward if the feelings aren't mutual. He would potentially lose his long time friend. And how would André react to this? He would probably freak out. Then, he would have to lose two best friends. And he wouldn't able to hang out at the Götze house and eat Kira's mash potatoes again. This is a risk that he didn't dare to take.

 

"Yeah Marco, please sing that song. I would like to hear it too!" Mario added, with eyes sparkles.

 

Marco smiles and replies "Well, I can't say no to my fans, right?" He clears his throat and starts to sing with his guitar.

 

_"When your legs don't work like they used to before..."_

 

Marco still remembered the first day he met Mario. He was that chubby little boy that always smiles. Marco felt that this boy glows whenever he enters the room. It was Mario who came up to the shy boy and introduce himself.

 

"Hallo, mein name ist Mario. Und du?"[1]

 

_"Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen_

_And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory_

_I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways_

_Maybe it's all part of a plan_

_Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes_

_Hoping that you'll understand"_

 

Marco always enjoys watching that chubby little boy. Mario is like a ray of sunshine. The young boy is always smiling no matter what happens. That's why Marco coined him "Sunny". Marco is the only child to his parents. His dad is a businessman that hardly spends time with him. The tall boy only gets to see his dad once a month, and sometimes it was less than that. His mom has already passed away during his birth. That is why Marco spends a lot of time in Mario's house for football and study, and the Götze family has somehow "adopted" him to their family. Even the family's German Shepherd treats him as a family. The shy boy wouldn't be the boy he is today without Mario. He thinks Mario is probably an angel sent by god to be with him. The tall blond boy is so attached to Mario because everything happy seems to relate to this little boy. Mario was the one who introduce him to the world of football. And because of Mario, he gets to know André and most of his football friends. If this does not work, he would be alone and lonely. His whole world would be shattered. Marco definitely doesn't want that to happen.

 

Mario's eyes are gazing to Marco. His heart fluffs with the melodies of the song and his soul has sunk into the Marco's voice. Mario didn't remember when he started to develop feelings for Marco. He is just happy to see Marco every day. He cherishes the tall boy's company, and he loves it when the tall boy plays football. Marco has become his strength of pillar without him noticing. He is the one who helped Mario become the player that he is today. The tall boy would spend countless days to practice with him just to make the small boy a better player. Mario could not imagine a day spending without Marco. They have been through a lot of ups and downs together, supporting each other 24/7. Mario thinks their relationship is unique and perfect, and he wanted it to last forever just the way it is. He just wishes to spend the rest of his life with Marco. Maybe this is love.

 

_"I'm thinking out loud_

_That maybe we found love right where we are_

_Oh, baby, we found love right where we are_

_And we found love right where we are"_

 

After Marco finished the song, Kira, Mario and André clap their hands.

 

"It's even better than the last time." Mario commented.

 

"Last time? Since when did he sing this song?" asked the confused André. He is pretty sure that he never heard Marco sang it before today.

 

"Oh, I think you were in London that time." Mario answered. 

 

"So you two were secretly dating when I'm not around eh?" said André with a raised eyebrow.

 

"You're the one who dumped us here while you are enjoying in London. And where's my English tea?" Mario shot back.

 

"English tea? What English tea?" André pretended that he never promises to bring them English tea from his London trip.

 

"English tea and strawberry jam scones. You promised us." Marco pouted.

 

"Okay, okay, I'll bring it tomorrow." said André.

 

"That's what you said previously. This time I'll text you until you remember." said Mario.

 

"Or even better, we'll go to your place tomorrow!" Marco added.

 

"What? That's a bit too much..." said André.

 

Kira laughs at the boys and says "Okay boys, we don't have English tea for now. Does anyone want some hot chocolate?"

 

"Yes please!" said all three boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Hallo, mein name ist Mario. Und du? - "Hello, my name is Mario. And you?" in German
> 
> Oh well, you all need to know how it all started. So here it is. I didn't expect to make this into one whole chapter.
> 
> And the guitar playing is inspired by André's Bayer Leverkusen band. Mario said Marco loves singing. So here you go... a singing Marco. 
> 
> Initially I'm going to put an Eric Clapton song but 'Til Summer Comes Around is an awesome guitar song, it gives me chills, I couldn't resist putting it. Maybe I'll use the Clapton song for another chapter. ;)
> 
> If you wondered why I wrote this so fast... it's because I wrote this chapter before I wrote the previous chapter.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Kira asks Marco out  
> \- an unforgettable football match  
> \- Thomas annoys his classmate


	6. Somebody To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira is hoping for Marco to notice her.

"SURPRISE!!!" Everyone in the house shouted.

 

_"Zum Geburtstag viel Glück[1],_

_Zum Geburtstag viel Glück,_

_Happy birthday to Kira,_

_Happy birthday to you!"_

 

Everyone in the house claps their hands and cheer in a joyful tone. It is 14th August, Kira's 14th birthday. Mario has invited a bunch of friends and classmates to their house to surprise his sister for her birthday. Everyone except Lukas and Bastian are here. The chubby boy has asked Thomas to stall his sister from getting home early, and the plan has worked out perfectly. Thomas has dragged Kira to the mall to help him choose a lederhosen, which he doesn't need. Kira wasn't aware that was a plan, because Thomas always make weird requests so his weird antics has become a norm for her. The living room is full of party decorations of colourful balloons, a big birthday banner, food and happy people. The dining table is full of delicious food prepared by Ms Götze. There are spaghetti, burgers, nuggets, pretzels, salads, sushi, soft drinks, fruits and a big birthday cake. Everyone is wearing party costumes as requested by Thomas, even the captain Philipp Lahm. He is wearing a white rabbit costume. 

 

"Stop it, Thomas!" said Philipp as he slaps Thomas' hand. Thomas has been pulling the rabbit ears of Philipp's costume since he arrives the room, and it annoys Philipp. The captain didn't want to wear a costume to the party, but he was persuaded by the whole team, especially Bastian to wear it. And it would not be a good sport if he didn't join the crowd. It's not that Philipp doesn't have a sense of humour, the pint-sized captain does let loose in parties and he does know how to have fun. It's just that costumes aren't his thing.

 

"By the way, where's Bastian?!" the captain asked furiously. "He's gonna get it from me tomorrow if he doesn't show up!" he said as he holds his rabbit ears with both hands to prevent Thomas from pulling it again.

 

"I don't know, Philipp. He's not replying my messages." Per in a giraffe suit replied. 

 

"Wow! Thanks, everyone! I didn't expect this." said Kira. She is overwhelmed by the response she got from her family and friends. She closes her eyes, clasps both hands together to make a wish and blows out the candles of the 2 tier chocolate cheesecake made by Mrs Götze. Everyone in the room claps for her. Then, Mrs Götze cuts and serves the cake for the guests.

 

"So what wish did you make, Kiki?" asked Thomas, who is standing beside her. Kira gives an awkward smile and tries to figure out what to say. Her wish is to be Marco's girlfriend. But she certainly can't say it out loud. Not with a huge crowd at least. No one knows about her crush on Marco, and there is no way she would say it here. Everyone else is focusing on Kira, waiting for her answer.

 

"Well, you can't ask her to say it out loud. Then her wish won't come true." Miro interrupted.

 

"Oh come on, Miro. Stop being so superstitious." Thomas turns his head to Miro and pouts.

 

"I think Miro's right. I'm going to keep it a secret. I want my wish to come true thank you very much." Kira replied spontaneously with a smile. Then, she let out her breath with her left hand on her chest, thinking that she's lucky to escape from Thomas' question for now. 

 

Meanwhile, Mario and Marco are fooling around with each other at the corner of the room with their matching monkey outfits. Mario is taking pictures of Marco making the three monkeys emoji: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The boys are giggling the whole time while taking the photos, ignoring everyone else in the room.

 

"Hey, both of you are monkeys? That's not fair! I thought everyone has to come out with different outfits!" said Mesut in a frog costume to Marco and Mario. Both Marco and Mario look at Mesut and then to each other and laugh. Then, they continue to take more pictures. Mesut rolls his eyes and leaves the two boys.

 

Across the room, Mats saw Benni grabbing a piece of cake. He is delighted to see Benni and he goes over to his friend.

 

"Benni, you're so cute in this outfit." said Mats, who is in a bee costume. 

 

"You look great too!" said Benni in a bear costume. He smiles back at Mats.

 

"Mats!" Jackie exclaimed with joy. Her voice interrupts the two boys. Jackie starts to babble, "Mats, I didn't know you were invited..."

 

"Ugh..." Benni grunted as he roll his eyes. "Why is she here?" he muttered.

 

Since Philipp has been guarding his rabbit ears, Thomas shifts his focus to his classmate, Lisa Trede, who is wearing a pink pony outfit. Lisa looks extra adorable today with the pink pony outfit, and he wants to find a way to approach the pretty girl. Lisa is getting a drink for herself and Thomas is mirroring her every move. As soon as Lisa figured out Thomas' skit, she is annoyed by his behaviour.

 

"Thomas Müller, stop it!" said Lisa as she puts down the cup of drink.

 

"Thomas Müller, stop it!" Thomas repeated as he puts down his drink as well.

 

"Stop it or I'll tell Mrs Götze about it!" said the angry Lisa.

 

"Stop it or I'll tell Mrs Götze about it!" Thomas repeated.

 

"Mrs Götze!" she called.

 

"Mrs Götze!" he repeated.

 

"Argh..." she grumbled and stomps her feet.

 

"Argh..." he repeated and stomps his feet as well.

 

André turns on the stereo and blasts Pharrell Williams' song Happy. Everyone in the room dance to the song. Everyone appears to be happy, except the birthday girl herself.

 

"Hmm... how do I get him to notice me?" Kira thinks as she watches Marco giggling with Mario from across the room. She sighs.

 

***

 

It is Tuesday evening, and it is football practice in school. The cheerleaders are at the side of the football field, cheering for the team. They are always around when the football team practices and the boys love the eye candy. There is a history of football players dating cheerleaders. Because being in the football team is cool, it's easy to get the cute girls. Bastian, Lukas, Sami have cheerleaders as girlfriends. The boys are currently checking out the cheerleaders. 

 

"Hey, I think there are some new girls in the cheerleading team." said Toni Kroos.

 

"Those new recruits are hot!" Jérôme replied. 

 

"I'm eyeing on that blond girl." said Lars Bender.

 

André looks to the mentioned area, and there is one brunette girl that he can't keep his eyes off. She has long brunette hair, big green eyes, and a devilish figure. She must be an angel fallen from heaven.

 

"Who's that girl?" asked Julian Draxler, pointing to the brunette girl.

 

"That brunette girl? Her name is Montana Yorke. She is the girlfriend of the basketball captain." Mesut answered.

 

"Ah, too bad. She's such a hottie!" said Eric Drum.

 

André lets out a huge sigh after listening to those words and continues to practice with the other boys.

 

***

 

"Bad news, kids. I'm so sorry that I couldn't join you all to the game this weekend. I had to attend a meeting." said Mr Götze with a frown face. It is the Bayern Munchën vs Borussia Dortmund game this Saturday. The game is a popular match among the locals. Mr Götze has fought hard to get these tickets. He is supposed to celebrate his son for getting into the first team with this match. But his boss has just scheduled an urgent meeting. Therefore, he could not join the kids for the game.

 

"A meeting on a Saturday?" Mario asked. "Didn't your boss realise it's a big game this weekend? And it's the first week of Bundesliga!"

 

"Yup. And it's probably going to be a long one. I think she hates football... Maybe you can give the ticket to one of your friends in school?" Mr Götze said as he hands the tickets to Kira.

 

"Ahh... That sucks!" said Kira as she receives the tickets from her father.

 

"I'll keep it. Kira's probably going to lose it." said Mario as he snatches the tickets from her hands. Kira stares at her little brother, and Mario sticks his tongue out.

 

"Well, have fun at the game, kids." said Mr Götze as he walks away. The kids are supposed to be sad, but for some reason, both Kira and Mario can't stop smirking.

 

***

 

It is a Wednesday morning, and Kira is getting ready for school. As she walks down the stairs, she sees Mario, who is already in the living room and dressed, ready for school.

 

"Morgen[2], sis!" said Mario with a bright smile.

 

"Morgen... you're early today, Mario." Kira replied with disbelief. She looks at her brother with her big brown eyes, then glances to the window to see if today is going to snow. But it is sunny outside. It's rare that Mario prepares himself to school this early. After Kira is done preparing, she and Mario walk to school together. Both siblings feel jolly today, they can't stop smiling on their way to school. Mario says goodbye to his sister after they arrive school. He runs to his classroom with a bright smile on his face.

 

"Marco, Marco!!! Look what I've got?" Mario said as he waves the football tickets at Marco. He looks at Marco with a bright smile. Marco always wanted to go to watch Borussia Dortmund live but his father never makes time to watch with him. The tall boy has never been to a football game before. Marco grabs the tickets from Mario and reads the wordings. It is printed: _Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund._  This is definitely a dream come true for him.

 

"Oh mein gott!" Marco exclaimed and hugged Mario tightly, eyes closed. He says "Mario, you're the best!"

 

***

 

It is recess time. Kira doesn't waste any time and starts looking for Marco. She looks around the school canteen and found him alone. This is a golden opportunity, she thinks. The 9th grader walks over to Marco. "Hi Marco." she said as she waves her hand to the boy.

 

"Oh, hi Kira. Mario is over there." Marco replied as he points his thumb to the right side, where Mario is talking with a girl named Ann-Kathrin Brömmel.

 

"Oh, no no no, I'm not looking for Mario. Actually I'm looking for you." said Kira as she waves both hands back and forth.

 

"Me? What's up?" the surprised Marco asked with a smile. 

 

"Are you free on Saturday?" Kira asked, trying to make it as natural as possible.

 

"You mean this Saturday?" Marco asked to confirm.

 

"Yeah, I was wondering if you would join me and Mario for the Bayern München vs Borussia Dortmund game this Saturday. We have an extra ticket..." said Kira.

 

"Oh, you mean the game. Actually Mario has asked me this morning." Marco replied.

 

"Oh... I thought I ask you because... Mario might forget to ask you. Ah hahaha..." she said with an awkward laugh.

 

"Well, thanks for inviting me again. See you this Saturday?" Marco replied with a smile.

 

"Yeah, see you on Saturday!" said Kira. She looks at Marco as the boy walks away to find a seat. Kira lets out a huge sigh. She buried her face in her left hand. "Oh great job, Kira. You just embarrassed yourself in front of him." she muttered to herself. But on the bright side, Marco did agree to come. It's not that bad after all.

 

***

 

It is a beautiful Saturday morning. There is no sign of raining, and that means it's a good day to watch football. The day of the big game has finally arrived. The Bayern vs Dortmund game. Kira puts on her Bayern München jersey and sings to the tune of Stern des Süden.

 

_"FC Bayern, Stern des Südens, Du wirst niemals untergehen_

_weil wir in guten, wie in schlechten Zeiten zueinander stehen"_

 

The Götze family is a fan of Bayern München. Mr Götze has been influencing his kids his love of Bayern München over the years. The family never misses a Bayern München game. So, it is natural that Kira is a Bayern fan. Kira patiently waits for Marco at the living room. Marco is going to meet Kira and Mario at the Götze house as they will go to the stadium together.

 

"Ding dong!" The door bell rang and Kira opens the door. 

 

"Hallo[3], guten tag[4], Kira." the tall boy said with a smile.

 

Kira is delighted to see Marco. She smiles at first but then it quickly became a frown. Something is really wrong here. Marco is wearing a Borussia Dortmund jersey. She shakes her head.

 

"Marco, you can't show up in a Borussia Dortmund jersey. We're sitting at the Bayern München side in Alianz Arena. The crowd will eat you alive! Go to Mario's room and change!" Kira said as she pushes Marco to the stairs before the shy boy is able to say anything.

 

Marco walks to Mario's room. The door is wide open so he thought he lets himself in. Mario is looking at himself with a full-length mirror, half naked, embracing himself. Marco is dumbfounded when he sees Mario. He gasps quickly turns his body away and hides at the corridor. It wasn't the first time he saw Mario's half naked body. In fact, they always see each others body at the changing rooms but today it seemed different to him. His face has turned into a red tomato, and then he gulps. He tries hard to calm himself down. The shy boy has no idea why he behaves this way. Mario heard sounds coming from the corridor and decides to take a look of his surroundings.

 

"Who's there?" Mario peeks his head out from his room. "Oh it's you!" said the little boy with a smile on his face. 

 

"Oh, hi-i-i Ma-Mario..." said Marco as he stuttered. "Kira asked me to change my clothes. She said I can't wear my jersey to the game."

 

"Well... do you want to change?" asked Mario, as he looks at Marco from top to bottom. He knows that Marco really wanted to wear his jersey to the game.

 

"No. I want to support my team." Marco answered with a sad face. Mario looks at the tall boy, and he understands how he feels. Everyone wants to wear their own jerseys at the games. And this is Marco's first game. But Marco can't go to the stadium with the yellow jersey. They are sitting at the Bayern Münich side of the stadium.The little boy opens his cupboard and searches through his clothes. Then, he pulls out a grey Topman jacket from the cupboard and hands it to Marco.

 

"Here, put this on." he said. "At least you still can wear your jersey."

 

Marco smiles as he puts on the jacket to cover his yellow jersey. Mario puts on a plain grey T-shirt himself. The boys finally came down from Mario's room. Kira looks at the boys. Something is not right.

 

"Mario, why are you not changed yet?" asked Kira.

 

Mario looks at his own plain grey t-shirt, and then looks back to Kira and says, "But I've changed!"

 

"You're not wearing your jersey?" asked the confused Kira.

 

"I'm... " Mario stuttered.

 

"Oh, look at the time, we're late!" Marco jumps in to interrupt the conversation. He points them the clock.

 

"Oh shit! Let's go!" Kira said as she frantically herds the boys to the door. As Kira locks the door, Mario whispered a _thank you_ to Marco and Marco replied him with a _thank you too_ as he refers to Mario's grey jacket.

 

"Mario, did you bring the tickets?" asked Kira after she locks the door.

 

"Yeah, it's right here..." Mario answered as he searches the football tickets in his Niké bag. "Oh no, where is it? I thought I've put it in the bag!" he screamed as he searches his bag frantically for the tickets.

 

"Mario, I told you..." Kira starts to lecture her brother.

 

"It's here. I took it from the table." said Marco. Both Kira and Mario looks at him and feels relieved.

 

"Phew..." Mario lets out his breath. 

 

"Okay, let's go, boys!" said Kira.

 

The boys and Kira run to the bus stop as the bus is about to leave. They hop onto the bus on time. Kira is the first one to hop on the bus. She chooses a seat on the left side of the bus, a window seat. Mario came after her and sits in front of her. Then Marco hops on the bus and chooses to sit with Mario.

 

"Dammit!" she muttered silently.

 

Marco and Mario start to discuss the game and Kira tries to interrupt from the back seat.

 

"I think we're going to win today, 3-0. Bayern always wins at home." said Kira in a confident tone. Both Mario and Marco look at her with wide eyes.

 

"Ah hahaha... don't mind me. I suck at these predictions thing." said Kira as she leans back to her seat. She closes her eyes, realised that it was a stupid move to boast about her team as Marco is a Dortmund fan. She is quiet as a mouse for the rest of the bus trip while Mario continues to talk with Marco. The kids managed to arrive the stadium on time with some good seats. Soon, the football players come out and the crowd cheers when the game starts.

 

At the 33rd minute, a Dortmund player scores.

 

"GOAL!!!" 

 

Marco and Mario cheered together. Kira looks at her baby brother. The crowd were not pleased with the boys.

 

"Mario, did you just... cheered for the rival team?" asked Kira in disbelief. 

 

"I'm just... being a good sport. Wasn't it a beautiful goal?" said Mario with an unconvincing lie.

 

Kira is confused. But she has no time to ask Mario for more questions as the game has resumed. She puts her focus back to the game.

 

The game ended in 2-1 to Dortmund. Both Marco and Mario are happy, and they could not stop chatting about the game on their way home. While Kira on the other hand, is sad as her team lost. She spent the whole bus trip starring at the window.

 

***

 

It is Monday morning. A happy Marco greets his friend Mario with delight. He is holding a yellow paper bag with his hands.

 

"Thanks for bringing me to game, Sunny. This is for you." Marco said as he hands the paper bag to Mario.

 

"You don't have to buy me anything, it's just an extra ticket." Mario said as he pushes back the paper bag to Marco.

 

"But I really want you to have this, Sunny." said the tall boy as he pushes back the paper bag to Mario.

 

"Okay then." Mario replied with a smile as he receives the paper bag. He opens the bag and pulls out the item from the bag. It is a black and yellow scarf with a stripe pattern, handmade with the wording Borussia Dortmund BVB 09. There is also an initial "M" sewn on the scarf.

 

"Wow, it's beautiful! Danke!" Mario said with a bright smile.

 

"Oh, and your jacket!" said Marco as he takes out the grey jacket from his bag. "But I haven't washed it yet." he continues and nervously wants to put the jacket back to his bag.

 

"Oh, it's okay. I'll wash it myself." said Mario, who stops Marco with his hand and smiles at him.

 

***

 

It is a sunny afternoon. But there is a slight breeze. Piano sounds can be heard in the school corridor while Philipp is on his way to his classroom.

 

"It's Haydn, Sonata in C major. Ah... this one has a subtle feel..." Philipp thinks to himself as he enjoys the piano music. He wonders who is playing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Zum Geburtstag viel Glück - wishing happy birthday in German  
> [2] Morgen - "morning" in German  
> [3] hallo - "hello" in German  
> [4] guten tag - "good day" in German
> 
> The title is taken from The Vamps' song Somebody To You
> 
> In case you don't know, Lisa Trede is Lisa Müller, Thomas' wife in real life. :D she's so beautiful I love her :D
> 
> A little reference of Marco, the emoji monkey
> 
> Thank you for liking it. It means the world to me. :D I can't stop smiling whenever I write this story. XD
> 
> All featured model wags are cheerleaders, except Lisa.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- someone understands me  
> \- a love confession


	7. If You Could See That I'm the One Who Understands You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teenagers craving for love.

In the public eye, Mats Hummels is the perfect kid in school. He has the smarts. The 9th grader is a top student in the Borussia Haus. He has the looks. The dark hair boy is the heartthrob of Munich International School. Girls in the school would do anything for him by just asking. The 9th grader could have chosen a really beautiful and intelligent girl from that bunch. But he wasn't interested in any of those girls. His eyes are only into the one and only Benedikt Höwedes. Benni is the only one that truly understands him inside and out. The dark hair boy has a dark secret, and he only told his secret to Benni. Benni didn't judge him for his background and gives him all the support whenever he needs. Mats have fallen in love with Benni since that incident.

 

It's a Sunday morning, Mats and Marco are having their usual jog at the nearby park. They often jog together on the weekends as they stayed in the nearby area. Mats and Marco shared the same passion of being a Borussia Dortmund fan. They love to talk about football during their morning jogs. Today, the topic is a little bit different. 

 

"So do you like him?" asked Mats.

 

"What?" asked the confused Marco.

 

"Mario. I can see there's something in between the two of you." Mats replied.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Marco denied, but his face has betrayed him. 

 

"Oh come on, you're such a bad liar." said Mats as he laughs. He nudges Marco's arm.

 

"Is it that obvious?" the shy boy asked.

 

"Yes. I know that feeling." the dark hair boy answered.

 

Marco stayed quiet for a while as they continued to jog. Then, he stops jogging and turns his head to asks Mats. "Is it the same with you and Benni?"

 

"Benni? Yeah, I guess so." Mats replied with a smile.

 

"Have you told him yet?" the younger boy asked. 

 

"Not yet. But I'm going to tell him really soon. I've been working hard and waiting for that day to come." said the grinning Mats. "What about you?"

 

"Me? Erm..." the shy boy hesitated.

 

"Just do it. Don't wait until you lose him." Mats said as he gives Marco a wink.

 

***

 

"Mario, you got a fan letter!" Kira called as she brings in the letters from the post box. Mario has been getting fan letters since he joined the first team. He comes down from his room, with Marco and André following behind. Kira hands the letter to her brother.

 

"Who is it from?" asked the curious Kira as the letter is sealed with a pink envelope. Mario glances to his sister with a smile then opens the letter.

 

"It's from Mon-" said Mario.

 

"MONTANA?!" André exclaimed as he snatches the letter from Mario. Mario, Marco and Kira stare at him with eyes wide. André reads the letter, and it is from a girl named Monica A. He then sheepishly gives back the letter to Mario. 

 

"Montana Yorke, eh?" Marco teased. Mario, Marco and Kira all have a crooked smile on their faces.

 

"But she's already taken." said Mario.

 

"Montana... Hannah. I'm referring to Hannah Montana." said the nervous André, trying to hide his true feelings but failed. 

 

"Hannah Montana? That's the best you can come up with?" said Kira, who didn't buy the lie.

 

"What a lame excuse." Mario replied.

 

"Yeah." Marco added.

 

"Make it a triple shot." Kira added.

 

Marco and Kira continue to tease André while Mario goes upstairs and pins the letter on the board, alongside with the other fan letters he received. Mario loves receiving fan letters. It gives him a lot of encouragement, especially when he's down. He has a white board in his room where he pins his fan letters on. He looks at his board and smiles. Sometimes the fans will even give presents to him too. Today he also received a parcel from a fan. And he is excited to see what's inside. The little boy picks up the box and opens it at the kitchen. Kira, Marco and André stand beside him to watch Mario opens the box.

 

"Pretzels?" Kira said.

 

"Pretzels!!!" Mario exclaimed with joy.

 

"Your favourite!" said Marco to Mario with excitement.

 

"She sure knows you well." Kira said.

 

There is also a letter in the box. Mario reads the contents of the letter. It was from Ann-Kathrin Brömmel. Ann has been sending a lot of letters since Mario joined the first team. Marco has a weird feeling about this Ann-Kathrin girl. He can't put a finger on why he has this feeling.  _Maybe I think too much?_  He shrugs off that feeling and continues to look at Mario.

 

"Do we have anything else to eat today?" asked Mario.

 

"Yup! Mashed potatoes!" Kira answered.

 

"Yay!" Marco exclaimed.

 

"Mashed potatoes again?" André asked. The boy loves mashed potatoes too, but they always have mashed potatoes in the Götze house. He is hoping for a different variety.

 

"It's Marco's favourite." said Mario.

 

"Marco likes mashed potatoes too?" asked André.

 

"Ja.[1]" Kira nods. "He likes it with extra butter."

 

Kira, Marco and Mario stared at André.

 

"Oh mein gott, you're such a terrible friend. Didn't you know that? Even my sister knows that." Mario said as he puts both hands on his cheeks, and he shakes his head with disbelief.

 

Kira stares at Marco, who is happily eating the mashed potatoes that she prepared. She wishes that Marco would realise that she's the one that understands him. She sighs and continues to eat her portion of mashed potatoes.

 

***

 

Philipp walks on the school corridor, on his way to meet his coach. He is in a relaxing mode today. He heard piano sounds coming from one of the piano rooms. Philipp felt like the music is reading his mind. The song is Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi. It is playing in a joyful tone. Philipp has a feeling that although it is a different song, he is convinced that it is played by the same person from the previous day. The captain wants to check out the pianist behind this beautiful tune, but he is stopped by someone.

 

"Fips! Fips! I need your help!" said Thomas in a very rushing tone. He runs towards Philipp's direction. The captain stops when he heard his name being called.

 

"Can you wait for a while, Thomas?" said the captain politely as he attempts to walk away from Thomas. But Thomas stops him.

 

"No Fips, it's an emergency." the dork boy said.

 

"Okay, what is it?" Philipp asked. 

 

"What do you know about horses?" Thomas asked.

 

"What??!! Your emergency is about horses?" asked the annoyed Philipp.

 

"Yeah yeah, what do you know about them?" the younger boy asked with his puppy eyes, waiting for an answer from his captain.

 

"They are mammals and they eat grass. Can I please go now?" the pocket size captain answered. Thomas puts his hands on his chin, trying to digest what Philipp has just told him. Philipp runs away from Thomas when the tall boy isn't noticing him. 

 

"Hey! I already knew that stuff!" said Thomas. But Philipp has already gone before he even realised. Philipp dashes to the piano room. Although the piano sounds have already stopped, the captain still insists on checking out the pianist. He knocks the door, but there is no reply. He then opens the door, and there is no one in the room. He sighs.

 

***

 

In between breaks, Kira is figuring out what to cook for Marco but she is interrupted by Thomas.

 

"Kiki! Kiki!" whispered Thomas. 

 

"What is it, Tommy?" Kira answered. "I thought you're still mad at me for not bringing you to the game."

 

"I'm still mad." Thomas replied. "You bring Marco, who's not even a Bayern fan instead of me." 

 

"That... that was Mario's idea. I would like to bring you, but he insisted on bringing Marco." said Kira as she tried to put the blame on her little brother.

 

"Well, you could veto your elder sister power, right?" Thomas shot back.

 

"I don't get it. Didn't you have front row season tickets?" said Kira as she puts down her pen. Thomas always have two season tickets every year. And it is always front row seats. He claims that the other one is his father's ticket, but he never shows up in the games. Kira doesn't get why Thomas' father would spend so much money on season tickets, but he never went to a single game. In a matter of fact, Kira never saw Thomas' father before, even though she and Mario have known Thomas for years. Thomas always brings a friend to the games for the extra ticket. He would either bring Kira, Philipp, Bastian, Mario or Jérôme to the games.

 

"That's not the point! The point is you didn't tell me that you're going!" he said.

 

"But I only have normal tickets." Kira replied. "We can't sit together anyway."

 

"I could have swap my tickets to join you. Then we can all sit together!" the tall boy said.

 

Kira bangs her head to the table. She does not know what to reply Thomas.

 

"Anyway, what do you know about horses?" asked Thomas.

 

"Nothing. 'Cause I don't have one?" she replied with sarcasm as she lifts her head up.

 

"Well, is there any way you could help me to find out?" Thomas asked.

 

"I don't know. Ask Lisa! Isn't she always talk to horses?" she replied.

 

"The thing is, I can't ask Lisa!" the boy answered.

 

"Well... Gimmie that." Kira said as she snatched Thomas' phone. The brunette girl taps the phone a few times.

 

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Thomas shouted.

 

"Tommy, meet your new best friend Google." said Kira as she hands back the phone to Thomas and walks away.

 

"I'm still mad at you!" said Thomas.

 

***

 

Life seems great for Lukas Podolski. He is one of the members in the first team, and he's dating a beautiful cheerleader Monika Puchalski. It's just that Monika's relationship with him is a little different than what it appears to be. Monika is his long time friend. Both of them have Polish parents and their parents had known each other for a long time. She had known Lukas for years and they live in the same neighbourhood. Monika could read Lukas like a book, even without the boy saying anything. She loves Lukas very much, but she also knows Lukas loves Bastian very much. She knows she is nothing compared to Bastian. If Lukas could choose, she knows deep inside Lukas' heart, it will definitely be Bastian. But even knowing all that, the girl would do anything for Lukas, even just as a paper girlfriend.

 

"Lukas, this is not working." Monika said.

 

"Huh?" replied Lukas, who is confused by Monika's statement. "What do you mean this is not working?"

 

"Us. Me, you and Basti. All of this. We have been a "couple" since last Christmas. But Bastian is still with Sarah. And you are still... you." Monika answered. "We can't be like this forever. Something has to be done."

 

"Uhm... I'm sure he will make a decision soon. Don't worry." Lukas replied.

 

Monika shakes her head lets out a huge sigh.

 

***

 

It is time for football practice. Mats and Benni always arrive early for football practice, because they want to spend more time together. Football is the only place they get to speak with each other face to face. And they didn't want to waste a second of it.

 

"MATS!!!" the girls screamed.

 

"How on earth did they came earlier than us?" Benni grumbled. Benni hates Mats' fans. He hates them with a passion. He hates it whenever they hang around with Mats. Every since they got into the first team the fans seemed to multiply day by day, and they seemed to be everywhere. The classrooms, canteen, park, school hall, football field and even the bus stop. And he knows Mats would prefer some peace too. But Mats is too nice to turn anyone down. Mats goes over to talk with the girls. He glances to Benni and saw the blond boy frowning. The heartthrob interrupts the girls and goes over to Benni.

 

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Mats.

 

"Nothing. I'm fine." said Benni, who tried to hide his emotions but failed.

 

"Benni..." said the dark hair boy. He shakes his head. He can tell that Benni is jealous.

 

"Mats, do you have to entertain everyone?" Benni asked.

 

"Well... wouldn't it be rude if you just walk away when people are calling you?" replied Mats.

 

"Well, I-I-I..." Benni stuttered. Mats smiles.

 

"Tell you what, meet me at the east gazebo after practice, okay?" Mats said with a serious face.

 

"Okay." Benni replied as he tries to smile.

 

Benni meets up with Mats after the practice. The blond boy waits at the gazebo as told. 2 minutes later, Mats runs to him with a wide smile. The heartthrob opens his bag and took an item out from his bag.

 

"Benni, look." he said as he drops the necklace from his right hand, leaving it dangling on his fingers. It is a shiny silver necklace with a football pendant. It looks really nice, but it also looks expensive.

 

"Mats..." the blond boy said. He is stunned by Mats.

 

"This is for you." the dark hair boy said as he puts the necklace on Benni's neck. "It looks perfect on you. And I have an identical one too!" he smiles and shows Benni the identical necklace that he has on his neck. 

 

"Mats, how did you get these?" Benni asked.

 

"Legally." Mats answered. Mats has secretly spent the last few months to work and earn some money to buy the necklaces without telling Benni. He even charmed the salesgirl to give him a special discount.

 

"I like you. I really really like you. Let's be together." he continued.

 

"Mats... I really don't know what to say." Benni replied.

 

"Just say yes, Benni." Mats said with a smile.

 

Benni is going to open his mouth but is interrupted by a voice.

 

"BENNI!!! BENNI!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Ja - "yes" in German
> 
> The title is taken from a Taylor Swift song, You belong with me
> 
> Updated with the Schweinski plot and extended Kira/Thomas banter, some clues are in it.^^
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Mario doesn't want Kira to be around  
> \- Mats and Benni's relationship isn't the same anymore  
> \- you're so annoying


	8. Leave Me Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario doesn't want his sister to hang around too much
> 
> Mats doesn't understand what happened to Benni
> 
> Mats relationship with his dad
> 
> Thomas tries to help Lisa
> 
> Lukas and Bastian's love life

Benni turns around as he heard the voice screaming for his name. It is Mrs Höwedes. Benni's mom calling her son. She storms to Benni's direction, looking very angry. She grabs Benni's hand and drags him away from Mats. 

 

"Mom, ouch! That hurts! Mom! Mom!" Benni screams while he is dragged by his mom. Mats could only watch from behind. His heart hurts like it was being stabbed by a knife. But he could not do anything to save the blond boy from that situation.

 

"Get in the car!" Mrs Höwedes orders her son as they reach the car. Benni follows her orders. Then, Mrs Höwedes goes to the driver's seat and starts the car engine. Benni feels scared. He does not dare to speak and starts to sob quietly. There is silence in the car for few minutes, then Mrs Höwedes starts to talk.

 

"How many times did I tell you not to talk to that boy? Didn't you know he's such a bad influence?" she said with an angry tone. Benni stayed quiet and did not dare to talk back. Then, Mrs Höwedes continues "That's it! Tomorrow I'm going to tell your teachers that you're quitting football!"

 

"NO! Mom! No! Please! I'll do anything! Please don't make me quit football!" he plead to his mom while grabbing her arm, and cries.

 

"Then stop talking to that boy!" his mom replied.

 

"But... but... he's my teammate..." said Benni. "I can't avoid him."

 

"You have a lot of teammates, right? Why can't you talk to Per, Miro or Toni? Why does it have to be him?" asked Mrs Höwedes.

 

"Okay, mom. I won't talk to him." he answered softly with his head down. He doesn't want to ignore his mom's instructions. He knows his mom is capable do anything to get whatever she wants. And she means it every time.

 

***

 

Mats went home after Benni was dragged home by his mom. He walked home thinking about Benni. He is worried about the blond boy. He stares at his phone thinking whether he should call the boy or not. In the end, he puts back his phone into his bag. He takes out his keys from his bag and heard loud noises coming from the house. There are noises of breaking glasses. He opens the door and there's a man arguing with his mom.

 

"That's it?! You're only giving me this?" said by a man's voice.

 

"I'm sorry, but that's just all that I have!" Mrs Hummels said.

 

"You're lying! Now give me all the money!" the man said as he grabs Mrs Hummels' shoulder.

 

"Hey! Hey! Stop forcing my mom to give you money! Get your own money!" Mats said as he tries to move the man away from his mom.

 

"Why you little punk..." the man said as he punches Mats.

 

"STOP IT!" Mrs Hummels cried. "I'll give you the money... just don't hurt my son!" she said as she hugs Mats tightly to prevent the man from hurting her child.

 

"Okay, gimmie now!" said the man.

 

Mrs Hummels goes to her room and takes out some money from the drawer. She hands the money to the man.

 

"Mom! No! That's for our rent!" Mats cried as he tries to stop his mom.

 

"Mats, stop it." she said with a firm tone. Mats put down his hands and stared at the man. The man smirks at him. He received the money and left the house.

 

"Argh... I wish he isn't my dad" said the frustrated Mats. Mats wished that the man never exists. He hates his dad very much because the man is always up to no good. Mr Hummels had been asking them for money every month. The man has been convicted a number of crimes from stealing to conning. He has been in and out of jail for few times, and Mats wished that he never comes out.

 

Mats goes into his room, takes a few deep breaths and starts to call Benni. But there is no answer. He tries to call few times again, but there were no answers as well. Then, the boy messages: _Hey, are you alright?_ He checks his phone every few minutes, but there are no new calls or messages. Then he starts to call again. _Benni, please pick up!!!_ But there is no answer. The dark hair boy is disappointed. He throws himself on the bed and sighs. Suddenly, there is an incoming message. Mats quickly grabs his phone and looks at the message. It was from Benni.

 

Benni Bae <3 : _Stop calling me_

 

Mats is hoping that he misread the message. He rubs his eyes and looks at the screen again. The message remains the same. He cannot believe it. Why would Benni say that to him? He is confused.

 

***

 

"Annyeonghaseyo!!![1]" the petite girl greeted her classmates.

 

Her name is Minnie Lee. People in the school normally call her Mini Mini because she is petite and it rhymes with her name, Minnie. Mini Mini is a foreign exchange student from South Korea. She has long and straight black hair, big dark brown eyes and thin lips. The Korean/Japanese/Chinese descendant just arrive Munich International school this school year. She is currently in 11th grade, a Bayern Haus student, which is Philipp and Bastian's classmate. Philipp tries to avoid her whenever she's around. But sometimes he couldn't avoid her too much as they are classmates. Not that there's anything wrong with her. It's just that sometimes she's just a little hyperactive and loud. Today, her classmates have given her some Kinder Happy Hippo cacao to try.

 

"Wahh!!! Kinder Bueno! Kawaī[2]!!!. Mmmmm... Oishii[3]!!!" Mini Mini exclaimed as she munches the chocolate. "Philipp-san would you like to have some?"

 

"No thanks." the captain politely rejects.

 

"Are you sure? It's really chocolatey!" said the Asian girl as she waves the Kinder Happy Hippo cacao in front of Philipp.

 

"It's okay." Philipp replied, waving his hands to signal him.

 

"How do you say chocolate in German? Shalkelado?" she asked.

 

"Schokolade." Philipp answered.

 

"Schokolatte!" Mini Mini replied.

 

"No, it's Schokolade." Philipp repeated.

 

"Schokolatte! Schokolatte! Schokolatte!" Mini Mini replied.

 

The school bell rings and the class starts. The 11th graders are having Physics today, and their Physics teacher Mr Louis Van Gaal gives them an assignment, which has to be done in pairs. He calls out their names to pair the students for the assignment.

 

"Philipp Lahm and Minnie Lee" said Mr Van Gaal.

 

"No!" said Philipp. "Mr Van Gaal, can I pair with Bastian?"

 

"No! You can't choose your partners." said the teacher.

 

"Philipp-san, I'm paired with you!!!" Mini Mini said as she smiles and waves her hand back and forth to Philipp.

 

"What did I do to deserve this?" Philipp said as he bangs his head on the table.

 

***

 

It is recess time, and André is looking for his friends Mario and Marco. A girl comes up to him. It is Montana Yorke.

 

"Hi-i-i... Montana." André said.

 

"Hi, you're one of the guys from the football team, right?" she asked.

 

"Ye-ye-yeah..." André stuttered.

 

"Oh, I just came by to give you this. A party invitation to Sarah's house next month." said Montana as she hands him a stack of invitation cards. "Can you help me to distribute it to your teammates?"

 

"Yeah, sure." André replied. He stood on the same place for a while, watching the girl walks away. Then, someone pats his shoulder. He was shocked.

 

"You know she has a boyfriend, right?" said the person beside him. It was Mario.

 

"No, it's not like that. She's just asking me to give out the invitation letters." said André as he shows Marco the invitation cards. His face has turned red.

 

"Come on. We'll find a better girl for you." said Marco as he drags André away from the spot.

 

***

 

It is a cooling evening, Kira opens the refrigerator to get a Kit Kat bar and Mario comes up to her.

 

"Kira, can we talk?" Mario asked.

 

"What's up?" said Kira, who is opening the Kit Kat wrapper.

 

"Uhm... I was thinking that you don't have to wait for me in football practice." said Mario.

 

"Why not?" she asked.

 

"Well, you could use the time to do other activities, like tennis." he replied.

 

"Tennis is on Wednesday. Taekwondo is on Mondays. I'm free on Tuesdays and Thursdays anyway." she said.

 

“What about joining the girls football team? You love football.” said Mario.

 

“Mario, I'm sorry, but they suck.” said Kira.

 

“Why don’t you go cheer leading like the other girls?” asked Mario.

 

“Seducing boys with that skimpy dress and those fluffy pom-poms? Er… thanks but no thanks.” Kira shot back.

 

“Aha! You can join the debate club.” he said.

 

“No, I don’t want to argue with people 24/7.” she said.

 

“I thought you love to argue.” Mario said.

 

“Mario…seriously?” she answered with her arms crossed.

 

“Art society!” Mario said.

 

“I can’t draw a cat.” Kira said.

 

“Drama!” he said.

 

“I’m not a drama queen.” she said.

 

“Music~” he said.

 

Kira lets out a huge sigh and stares at her baby brother. There is silence for few minutes. Kira studies her little brother’s face. Mario is used to be accompanied by Kira. He never complained about it before. But now he seemed to be annoyed by it so much. Why does he want to get rid of his sister as soon as possible? What made him behave in such a way?

 

“Is it because of the boys in Die Mannschaft? Are they laughing at you?” asked Kira.

 

“No, it’s just…” he paused.

 

“Just what?” she asked.

 

“I’m a big boy now. I can take care of myself.” he answered.

 

“Oh please, you can’t even make it to school on time without me!” said Kira.

 

“That’s different.” Mario replied.

 

“Oh yeah, how different is it?” she countered back.

 

“Mom! Can you tell Kira to stop following me around in school?” Mario called his mom, ignoring Kira's question.

 

“Mom! He needs to be protected.” Kira called. She feels that sometimes Mario needs to be protected because of his tiny figure. The small boy was bullied by the bigger boys back in Grundschule and it was Kira who rescued him.

 

"Kira, that was 1st grade." said the small boy.

 

"Well you haven't grown much since then." said the elder sister.

 

"Mario, listen to your sister!" mom said from another room.

 

“But mom, I’m in Gymnasium now!” said Mario.

 

"Mommmmmmm!" Kira called.

 

"Mommmmmmm!" Mario called.

 

"Okay, okay, I heard you guys. Kira, let your brother be independent. He's a big boy now." said the mother.

 

"But... but..." Kira has out of excuses to say. But she didn't want to lose the battle.

 

"You can't shield him forever. He needs to be on his own someday. Why not letting him try now? If he gets bullied again, I'll let you protect him, okay?" said Mrs Götze.

 

"Okay mom." said Kira with dismay. It's not that Kira was afraid of Mario getting bullied again. That bullying incident was years ago and Mario is very popular kid now. Everyone in school adores him. Everyone wants to be Mario Götze's friend. But Kira has her own agenda for clinging on to Mario. And there is only one reason, Marco Reus. Without Mario she had no excuse to talk with Marco. She had to find a way to get closer to the boy.

 

***

 

Philipp is on his way to the office. He heard piano sounds while he is walking on the corridor. It is a new song[4] that he never heard before. And he felt like it's from the same pianist. Today, the captain is keen to find out the answer. But then...

 

"Fips! Fips!" Thomas called as he ran to his captain and grabs the captain's arm.

 

"Thomas, what is it now?" said the frustrated captain as stopped walking.

 

"Fips! I need your help!" said the skinny boy.

 

"If it's about lambs, I'm outta here!" the captain replied with an angry tone.

 

"No Fips! It's about horses!" said Thomas.

 

Philipp takes a deep breath and exhale. "Okay, Thomas. What is it?"

 

"Fips, do you know how to tack up a horse?" Thomas asked.

 

"No! Why would I?" the captain answered.

 

"Do you know where I can learn it?" asked the skinny boy.

 

"Hmm... Youtube?" Philipp answered.

 

"Fips, you're a genius!!! I know I can count on you!!!" Thomas exclaimed, and then he ran away.

 

Philipp continues to head for the piano room after speaking with Thomas. The piano music has already stopped for a long time, but Philipp is still keen to look for the answer. He knocks the door and let himself in the piano room. It is empty again.

 

"Argh... Thomas!!!" the captain said as he holds his fist tightly and bangs his fist to the wall.

 

***

 

Lisa Trede loves animals, particularly horses. She is one of the members in the equestrian club. The 9th grader loves how the way those beautiful animals run so gracefully on the field. Lisa loves spending time grooming the horses to tip top perfection. Today, she is grooming the horses at the school stable.

 

"Hi, Lisa!" Thomas greeted her with a grin.

 

"Thomas, what do you want?" said Lisa. She assumes Thomas is up to no good. Thomas is known as a troublemaker in school and lately the boy has been teasing her, which she didn't enjoy it at all. 

 

"Do you need any help?" said the skinny boy. 

 

"Well, I don't know if you could help me anything here..."  she answered as she looked around the stable. The blond girl was shocked that Thomas actually wanted to offer some help.

 

"Aha! The horse needs a saddle!" said Thomas as he grabs a saddle and throws it on the horse. He tried to copy from what he learned from the youtube videos, but this is the first time he tries on a live animal.

 

"NEIGH!!!" the brown horse cried.

 

"Stop it! Stop it!!!" Lisa shouted as she stops Thomas from making more damage. She takes some deep breaths, tries not to be angry with Thomas and starts to talk again. "Erm... Thomas, why don't you fill the water for the horses?"

 

"Okay!" said Thomas as he gives Lisa a wink. He quickly goes to turn the water tap. There is no water coming out from the hose and the boy continues to turn the tap until the maximum. The boy did not realise he is stepping on the water hose. "Hey, there's no water!" He said as he shakes the water hose, and bangs it on the pillar. "Maybe I should check the main tap."

 

Thomas begins to walk, and the water runs freely after Thomas' foot was removed from the water hose, and the water current is bursting out. Water is blasting out from the hose, spitting water at all four corners of the stable. The horses begin to panic.

 

"OH MY GOD!!! Thomas Müller!!! GET OUT!!!" Lisa screamed.

 

***

 

Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger is making out at Lukas' couch, in the living room. They are the only two in the house. Bastian caress Lukas' face with one hand and caress the Polish boy's waist with the other hand. Lukas bites Bastian's lips, and the kisses the German boy. Suddenly, Lukas felt that he couldn't do it anymore.

 

"Stop stop stop." Lukas said as he pushes Bastian away from him.

 

"What's wrong Luki?" Bastian asked.

 

"Basti, We can't be like this anymore." said Lukas.

 

"Why not?" Bastian asked. 

 

"I don't want to live a double life anymore!" the Polish boy said.

 

"Wait... you're complaining?" asked the German boy.

 

"You said you will break up with Sarah since last year. I've waited for a year but nothing has changed." Lukas said. "I just want to be the only one for you." 

 

"Well, you have Monika too! Isn't that even? Bastian countered back.

 

"That's different!" said Lukas.

 

"What's so different about that? Isn't she's your girlfriend?" Bastian asked.

 

"Yes, but I would definitely choose you if you break up with Sarah." said Lukas.

 

"Lets... just pretend this conversation didn't happen, okay?" said Bastian as he tries to cuddle Lukas.

 

"No!" said Lukas as he pushes Bastian away from him. "I don't want to continue it like this."

 

"Fine. Have it your way." said Bastian as he gets up from the couch and leaves the house.

 

***

 

André is on his way to the football field. He saw a girl crying at a corner. He approaches the girl, and it is Montana.

 

"Montana? Are you crying?" he asked.

 

"No. It's just... something got into my eyes." she replied as she tries to hold back her tears.

 

"Really? Can I help you with it?" said André as he tries to help Montana.

 

"Thanks. It's okay..." she answered.

 

"HEY YOU!" a guy's voice is heard. It is Montana's boyfriend, Scott Anderson. The captain of the basketball team. He is very tall, well built. He looks furious as he walks towards André's direction. He pushes André away from Montana and punches the younger boy. He wanted to beat André again, but Montana stops him.

 

"No! Stop it! He's just trying to help me!" Montana pleads as she grabs her boyfriend's hands.

 

"Help you? It looks like he's hitting on you." Scott said as he swings away Montana's hand.

 

"No, he's not. Can we just leave it?" said Montana.

 

"Pfft... you're lucky today, boy." said the basketball player as he leaves.

 

"I'm sorry..." Montana whispered as she leaves with her boyfriend, leaving the injured André behind.

 

***

 

Mats is the first one to arrive the football field. He is waiting for Benni. The blond boy has not replying his messages and phone calls. Mats is worried about him, and he also wants to have someone close to talk about his family issues. 

 

"Per, have you seen Benni?" he asked his teammate.

 

"Benni? He didn't come to school today. He calls in for a sick leave." Per replied. "Didn't he tell you?"

 

"I guess he forgot to tell me." Mats replied with a forced smile. He sighs after Per left. He picks up his phone and messages Benni.

 

Mats <3 : I heard that you're sick. Are you ok? Please reply me.

Benni bae <3 : Mats, leave me alone!

 

 _What happened to Benni? Why is he acting so strange?_ The dark hair boy couldn't understand. Everything was alright until he confess his love to the blond boy. _Does Benni hate me?_   But it doesn't make any sense either. If Benni didn't like him, the boy wouldn't care to message him every day. Then, he remembered that Benni was dragged by his mom to the car. Maybe she had told something to her son.

 

At the side of the football field, Kira watches Marco practicing football. Her friend Jackie came up to her. 

 

"Kiraaaaaaa!!!" Jackie cried.

 

"Jackie? What happened?" asked Kira.

 

"Didn't you heard? Mats is gay! Mats is gay!" the Latino girl cried.

 

"So?" Kira replied.

 

"He's gay!!! That means he doesn't like girls! That means he won't like me!!!" Jackie cried.

 

"He won't choose you even if he's straight." Kira said to herself quietly.

 

"What did you just said?" Jackie asked.

 

"Oh, I'm sure it's just a rumour. Did you see him kiss anyone?" Kira covers her lie and tries to convince the Latino girl.

 

"Oh my god! Kira, you're right! I must tell all my members in the Mats Hummels fan club immediately!" she replied, then she quickly logs on to Facebook and update a status.

 

"Kira!" A voice called Kira's name.

 

"Kira, why are you here? I thought we have agreed..." said Mario as he comes towards Kira with André.

 

"I'm... I'm just here to return André's pen. He left it in our house." she said as she looks for a pen in her bag, and then stuffs the blue pen that she stole from Mario's room to André.

 

"Huh?" the confused André looks at the pen.

 

"By the way, what happened to your eye?" asked Kira.

 

"Nothing. It's just panda eyes... you know... too many assignments..." said André as he tried to cover up with a lie. Then he switched the conversation. "Hey, Marco! I found your pen! I told you I didn't lose it!" 

 

"Yay! Thank you Kira!" said Marco with a smile as he comes towards their direction.

 

"It... it was your pen?" asked Kira. She didn't know the pen belongs to Marco because she saw André was the one uses it. If she had known the pen belongs to Marco, she would have handed back to Marco personally, in private.

 

"Yeah, I lend it to André. He didn't bring his." Marco replied.

 

Mario stares at his sister, hinting her to leave with his eyes. But Kira refused to leave.

 

"Well, since I'm here, I'll watch you guys play. It's that okay?" she asked.

 

"Yeah, why not?" André answered.

 

Kira smirks while Mario stares at her. Then the boys went back to training. Kira thinks about her next visit to the training. She can't use the same excuse to hang around, and she already promised Mario to leave him alone. In the middle of the training, a student hands her a newspaper. It is the school magazine, Schülerzeitung. Schülerzeitung is a weekly school magazine which features the school events, and that includes academic and sports events. She flips through the magazine and sees an advertisement. It is an advertisement for the position of a content writer.

 

"Hmm..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] 안녕하세요 Annyeonghaseyo - "Hello" in Korean  
> [2] かわいいです Kawaī - "cute" in Japanese  
> [3] おいしいですOishii - "delicious" in Japanese  
> [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baZCFlBCkjQ - I have no idea what song it is. Maybe it is an original song from the Korean drama, Cantabile Tomorrow. I just love the song :D  
> [5] Schülerzeitung - "school magazine / newspaper" in German
> 
> You're probably wondering why Mats can't see Benni outside the school. The answer is revealed this chapter. I know it's sad...
> 
> I know Kira just drew a bee in a previous chapter. But there's a reason she can't draw cats... will be revealed later ;)
> 
> I haven't used much of the other boys in the team. But I will, in the next chapter. Next chapter will have a happier note. There will be some Götzeus! 
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Our first game


	9. Our First Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first team is heading to their first friendly match!

"Wow, Kira, this is pretty impressive! I didn't know you could write so well!" said Philipp, who is also the editor of Schülerzeitung. He read Kira's article that she submitted for the position of the content writer, and he loved it.

 

"So do I get the job?" asked Kira.

 

"Yes. Of course! Welcome to the family!" said Philipp with a smile.

 

***

 

It is a Saturday morning, mid September. The sun is waving through the windows of the Götze house. Mario is packing his belongings enough for a 2 days 1 night trip as the team is heading to Berlin for a friendly match with the Socceroos. The perks of being a first team member is the players get to travel and play with students from the other schools. The boy is excited because it is his first match as the Die Mannschaft first team member. He is actually going to play football against other schools for the first time. It is too good to be true. He packs his jersey, some clothes, pants, socks, football shoes, hair dryer, hair gel, toiletries, headphone and the scarf that Marco gave him. After packing, he goes down the stairs and wait for Marco and André. Mario may be late for school, but he was never late when it comes to football. The boy checks out himself from the reflection of the shinny refrigerator at the dining area. Minutes later, he saw his sister dragging a purple luggage bag with wheels to the living room.

 

"Kira, where are you going?" asked Mario.

 

"Going to the game, just like you!" she replied with a grin.

 

"But you're not in the team." said Mario.

 

"Of course I'm not, silly. I'm on duty." Kira said as she flashes her reporter name tag to her little brother. Mario looks at the name tag and is surprised, his mouth opens wide.

 

"But... but..." said Mario. "You promised me and mom to let me do this alone!"

 

"I'm not following you. Like I've said I'm having a duty." Kira replied with a smirk.

 

"How on earth did you get this position?" the brother asked.

 

"Your captain approved me." the sister answered.

 

"But... but.." said Mario as he tries to find an excuse to stop his sister from joining them.

 

"What, Mario?" asked Kira.

 

"What about Merlin? He's going to starve!" said Mario as he points his finger to the German Shepherd.

 

"Oh, mom is going to feed him later. No worries." said Kira. "Okay, I'm ready, auf gehts[1]."

 

Mario sighs. He definitely can't stop his sister this time. He continues, "Well, we need to wait for Marco and André."

 

"What? Marco's coming?" she asked.

 

"Yeah, we are going to the train station together." the brother answered.

 

A few minutes later, Marco arrived the Götze house with his luggage bag. He has bought 2 identical bracelets from the nearby souvenir shop. He plans to give one to Mario just like how Mats gives a necklace to Benni as a declaration of love. But he heard that the declaration didn't go well. People in school have been laughing at Mats for being gay. And Benni didn't speak to Mats since that incident. Maybe confessing love like this wasn't a good move. He puts back the bracelets into his Puma bag. Then, he heard a voice calling him. 

 

"Marco?"

 

It was André. He was wondering why Marco has been standing at the door for a while without knocking or calling anyone from the house.

 

"Why are you standing here?" asked the blue-eyed boy.

 

"I was... checking my keys!" Marco answered with an unconvincing lie.

 

"This is Mario's house, you silly." André said as he playfully smacks Marco's head. Mario heard voices from outside so he opens the door. He saw Marco and André.

 

"Oh great! You guys are here!" he said with a big smile.

 

***

 

Mario arrived the train station at 9.50am with Kira, Marco and André to gather with the rest of the team just as informed. The students came to the station one by one. By 10.15am, everyone has arrived the train station except Lukas and Bastian. Coach Joachim looks at his watch.

 

"If they couldn't make it to the train station by 10.30am, help me to bring the others to Berlin first. I'll wait for those two." coach Joachim said to his assistant Oliver. Oliver nods. 

 

Lukas and Bastian arrived together just in time for the train. Lukas is back in good terms with Bastian again. He literary can't say no to Bastian. And he hates himself for that. After their fight on the previous day, they made up after Bastian bought some snacks and serenaded him with a cheesy boy band song. Lukas is a sucker for all those things, and he forgave the vice captain that easily. Joachim watches them arrived and isn't impressed with them.

 

"You two are late. Why are you late?" asked the coach. "Especially you, Bastian. You are vice captain. You should give a good example to the others, especially to the juniors."

 

"Sorry coach. We were stuck in a traffic jam." said Bastian.

 

Lukas hides his feelings so well that none of his teammates have ever suspected him of his relationship with Bastian. Or even just him being sad. Lukas is always the happy boy in the team. He always motivates his teammates in games. Only he himself knows deep inside in little heart that his life wasn't always filled with rainbows and butterflies.

 

"Aha!" said the Polish boy who changes the subject to distract the other boys from asking him questions. "That is a new shirt, right Jérôme?"

 

"Yeah, how did you know that?" asked Jérôme.

 

Thomas, who is standing nearby, raises an eyebrow. "Kiki, do you think it's weird?" he whispered to his friend.

 

"Huh?" replied the confused Kira.

 

"Schweini and Lukas." Thomas replied.

 

"What about them?" asked Kira.

 

"Both of them didn't go to your birthday party and today they were late together. And they didn't even stay nearby with each other." said Thomas.

 

"Hmm..." Kira thinks.

 

On the other hand, Mats wanted to talk to Benni but the blond boy kept avoiding him. Mats calls out for Benni, but Benni goes to the other boys and pretends to join in their conversations. After a while the train arrives and the boys are lining up for the train, Benni quickly goes over to Per.

 

"Per, can I sit with you?" the younger boy asked.

 

"Sure. But I thought you want to sit with Mats." the older boy replied. Benni just gives him a forced smile. The boys go into the train one by one. Benni goes into the train and chooses to sit at the right side of the train, window seat. Per sits beside him. Mats sits at the left side with Lars on the window seat. Mats looks at Benni. Benni tries to avoid Mats. He grabs a magazine and flips it to a random page, putting the magazine high up so it could cover his face. But he didn't realise he holds the magazine the wrong side. Mats shakes his head.

 

Kira tries to join Mario and his friends, but Thomas grabs her shoulders and places her on a seat beside himself. Kira looks behind and saw Marco already sat with Mario. Her jaw drops. Mario sits at the left side of the train, with a window view, while Marco sits beside him. André is sitting opposite of Mario. After the boys arranged their luggage, they sit on their seats. Mario takes out his phone and starts to take wefies with Marco on the train.

 

"I want a wefie too!" said André.

 

André joins in and Mario takes more photos with them. He then browse through the photos on the photo gallery and chooses the best one. He posts the picture on his Instagram with a caption: _My first game with my bros @marcinho11 and @andreschuerrle. #PartOfGoetze_

 

Then, Mario puts away his phone and continues to chat with his teammates. And suddenly, there is a sound of a phone ring.

 

_"Cause all.._

_I need, is a Beauty and a Beat_

_Who can make my life complete_

_It's all.."_

 

Both Marco and Mario look for their phones respectively. Marco is the first one to have found his phone. But it is not his phone that is ringing. He puts away his phone.

 

"Oh, it's mine! Excuse me, I need to take this call." said Mario. "Hi, papa! Yeah, I'm on my way to Berlin..."

 

"You guys are using the same ringtone? Oh my god, you guys are sick!" André said as he rolls his eyes. Marco laughs at him. André always teases them about being a couple. Marco wishes that it would came true, though. Then he looks at Mario and smiles. At the front coach, Thomas keeps yapping about horses on the train. Kira sleeps beside him. Miro and Holger pretend to look interested to Thomas' horse lesson. Bastian and Lukas keep poking each other and giggle. Toni plays cards with Jérôme, Mesut and Sami.

 

It is a long journey to Berlin. By the 3rd hour, most of the players has slept in the train. Mario puts on his white colour Beats By Dre headphones that Marco gave him last year as a birthday present. He browses through his song list and picks "New Flame" by Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross[2]. He closes his eyes and immerse into the song. Suddenly, he felt a weight falls on his right shoulder. He opens his eyes and turns his head slightly to the right. It was Marco. The tall boy has slept soundly on Mario's shoulder, and lets out a little snore. Mario smiles at him. He carefully removes his headphones and takes out his phone to capture this rare and sweet moment that he will probably cherish for a long time. He smiles and press the screen of his Samsung phone. He took a number of photos and then he browse them in his photo gallery. The young boy smiles happily by himself.

 

Time flies and it is the 6th hour in the train.

 

"Marco, Marco!" Mario called his friend. "We're going to arrive soon." Marco slowly opens his eyes and realised that he has been sleeping on Mario's shoulder. He freaks out and moves his head away from Mario's shoulder. The tall boy adjusts his hair, and his face has turned red.

 

"Erm... sorry about that." he said after clearing his throat.

 

"No worries. You owe me one this time." said the small boy with a smile.

 

After more than 6 hours of train ride, the team arrives their destination and the boys were ushered to a bus. After a short bus trip, they arrived the hotel. Coach Joachim asks the boys to pair up for the hotel rooms. He lets the boys decide their own roommate.

 

"I choose Marco!!!" Mario said quickly as he hugs Marco. 

 

"Hey, not fair! I want Marco! You just sat with him!" said André as he tried to take Marco away from Mario. Mario refuses to let go of Marco.

 

"Mario, go share a room with your sister!" André said as he pulls Marco's left arm.

 

"I don't want to. I want Marco! He's mine!" said Mario as he pull Marco's right arm. 

 

"No! I want Marco! Let him go!" said André as he pulls Marco's left arm.

 

"You let go!" said Mario.

 

"Marco!!! Who do you want to sleep with?" asked André and Mario on the same time.

 

"Uhm... Mario." the shy boy said. "I'm sorry, André."

 

"Ha! I told you he's mine." said Mario as he sticks his tongue out to André.

 

"Hpm... fine." André pouted with his arms crossed. He goes to the coach and asks for a triple room. "Herr Löw! Can I request for a triple room? Can I sleep with Mario and Marco?"

 

"No! Everyone will sleep with pairs. Now go find a partner." said Joachim with a firm tone.

 

Kira looks at the boys, wishing that she could stand a chance to room with Marco. But there's no way she's going to be paired with Marco. She sighs. Kira has her own room, all by herself as she is the only girl in the whole crew. Thomas at the other hand, have yet to find a roommate. Most of the players are either afraid of being prank by Thomas or have to listen to Thomas' voice all night long. The skinny boy is called "radio" by his teammates. And they can't mute this radio. 

 

"Miroooo!!! I want to be your roomie!" said the young boy as he comes over to Miro's direction with arms open.

 

"I'm sorry. I'm already paired with Mario Gomez." the older boy answered. Then, Thomas goes over to Kira.

 

"Kiki, do you have a roomie yet?" Thomas asked.

 

"No." she replied.

 

"Great. I'll be your roomie." said Thomas.

 

"Tommy, you can't be my roomie. I'm a girl." said Kira with narrowed eyes.

 

"Dammit." said Thomas. The the boy turns around to look for his captain. "Fips! Fips! Do you have a roomie yet?"

 

"I'm staying with Per." said the captain. Philipp already booked his roommate long before they arrive the hotel. He wanted a decent roommate so that he could focus for the game tomorrow. He didn't want to end up a room with Thomas. Thomas will never let his roommate sleep early. He will probably talk all night long. 

 

At the other corner, Benni continues to avoid Mats by frantically looking for a roommate. At this point most of the players already have their roommates. Benni has been asking his other teammates to become his roommate but all of them has declined.

 

"I'm sorry, Benni. I'm sleeping with Bastian." said Lukas.

 

"I'm with Sami. You're not going to be sleeping with Mats?" asked Mesut.

 

"Well... I... I... just want a change. I want to get close with other teammates too!" said the blond boy with a forced smile. In the end, everyone has found their roommates, except Mats and Benni. There is nowhere else to hide. Benni goes to his coach.

 

 "Coach, can I have a separate room?" Benni asked his coach.

 

"No. You're going to sleep in pairs and that's it!" said the coach firmly. He distributes the keys to the students. Mats is holding their room keys, and he looks at his roommate with a concerned face. While Benni is looking down at his luggage bag, frowning.

 

"Benni! Benni!" Mats nudged him with a gentle tone. "Let's go to our room."

 

Benni did not reply him, he just followed the dark hair boy to their room. Mats opens the door and walks into the room. Benni avoids eye contact with Mats. He walks past Mats and places his luggage at the corner of the room, and starts looking for clothes to prepare for a shower.

 

"Benni, can we talk?" asked Mats. But Benni ignored him and continue to look for his clothes.

 

"Benni! Benni!" Mats continue to call him. Benni did not respond. Mats is getting impatient with his behaviour.

 

"Benedikt Höwedes!" Mats shouted. "Stop avoiding me and tell me the truth!" 

 

Benni is stunned. He drops his clothes on the floor. He shut his eyes, holds his fists tightly. He takes a deep breath and exhales. He opens back his eyes and turns around to the dark hair boy. He starts to talk. "Mats... I...I..." He stuttered. The blond boy closes his eyes. Tears starts streaming down on his face. He could not continue to talk. Mats quickly comes forward to hug the blond boy. Benni lets his head rest on Mats' shoulder and continues to cry.

 

"I'm sorry, Benni. I didn't mean to make you cry. I just don't know what happened to you. And you didn't reply my calls and messages..." said Mats. 

 

"Mats, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" said Benni. "I'm so scared!"

 

"Benni, what happened?" asked Mats as he released Benni and looks him in the eyes. ''Why are you scared?"

 

"I'm scared that I'm not able to see you anymore!" Benni replied. "My mom is going to force me to quit football if I continue to hang out with you!"

 

"Why?" asked Mats.

 

"She just doesn't like you." Benni replied.

 

"Benni, Benni, look at me! We can get through this together. Trust me!" Mats told the blond boy.

 

Benni nods and stops crying. He hugs Mats tightly. But he's still worried about the future.

 

Mario and Marco are just 2 rooms apart from Mats and Benni. After Mario had his shower, he styles his hair in front of the mirror. The little boy runs his hair through with his fingers. Marco is pouring himself a cup of water, but he can't stop staring at the younger boy. He didn't realise his cup has overflowed. Mario saw it from the reflection of the mirror.

 

"Marco, euer Tasse[3]!!!" he said as he turn around.

 

"Huh? Woah!" Marco just realised his cup has overflown. Water is flowing from the cup to the counter until the floor. 

 

Holger Badstuber, who is at the opposite room, is paired with Thomas in a same room. Thomas is still on his horse topic. At this point Holger is already fed up with Thomas' voice, and he's trying to sleep for tomorrow's game.

 

"Holger, did you know horses can sleep both lying down and standing up?" Thomas asked.

 

"Oh my god!!! Thomas! One more word from you I'll throw you out of the room!!!" Holger shouted.

 

"Holger, did you know a horse's teeth take up more space in their head then their brain?"

 

"AHHHHHH!!! SHUT UP!!!" Holger screamed.

 

***

 

"Morning sleepyhead!" said Benni with a sunshine smile. It's the match day between Die Mannschaft and Socceroos. He is playing with Mats' curly hair. Mats slowly opens his eyes and sees a cute Benni in front of him. He loves Benni's smile. Benni's smile makes him forget all those unhappy things. "Today is our first game." the blond boy continues.

 

"Arh... can I stay here and cuddle you all day?" said Mats in a sleepy tone as he stretches his arms. His eyes are still half asleep. 

 

"No. I want to play football with you. So get up, you lazy bum." said Benni as he hits Mats' butt with a pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] auf gehts - "let's go" in German  
> [2] "New Flame" by Chris Brown featuring Usher and Rick Ross - This is one of Mario's favourite song, so I put that in it  
> [3] euer Tasse - "your cup" in German
> 
> I hope the German translations that I've put so far are correct. I hope I didn't mislead you :'D
> 
> I need to talk about some football related things since this fic talks about football...
> 
> This chapter is for your Götzeus pleasure. A little reference of Mario's favourite hashtag #PartOfGoetze
> 
> Mario has those headphones so I put it into the story, but I just googled Beats By Dre headphones and found out that it's super expensive. So, a middle-class family wouldn't buy such expensive headphones for a teenager... so I thought I'll write it as Marco's gift. Marco is richer than Mario so it would make sense that Marco bought those headphones for him. I haven't really talked about Marco's background... will be revealed on chapter 11 :)
> 
> I just realised that it's been a month since I first started this fic. Time sure flies!
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Marco's instincts  
> \- post match feelings


	10. The Karaoke Bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes to a karaoke session for a celebration after their first win

_"Oh, sometimes I get a good feeling, yeah_

_I get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before no, no_

_And I just gotta tell you right now that I,_

_I believe, I really do believe that_

_Something's got a hold on me, yeah_ _..."_

 

Kira jumps on the couch of the karaoke room, singing to the tune of Something's got a hold on me by Etta James, channeling her inner Christina Aguilera. The boys are dancing to the song. It's a happy atmosphere in the room because the football team has just won their first game of the school year. The match ended in 2-1, with Miro and Thomas scoring a goal each. And it is also Thomas Müller's birthday. The best way of celebrating it is by having a karaoke session at Berlin after the game. After Kira has finished her song, the next song that comes out is Stern des Südens.

 

"Stern des Südens? Seriously? Who pick this song?" said İlkay.

 

"It's my song! It's my favourite song." said Thomas as he grabs a microphone.

 

"Hey, where's my song? I've been requesting songs for the past hour, but it's always Kira and Thomas' songs that came out." said Sami.

 

"Yeah, where's my song?" asked Toni.

 

"And my song Hey baby... I've been requesting it for 3 times, but it still doesn't come out." said Per.

 

"Opps! Sorry!" said Lars as he clicked the next button of the remote control on purpose. The next song that comes out is I love rock and roll.

 

"Hey!" Thomas shouted with dismay. He started to argue with the other boys, and some of the boys started to change songs and snatching microphones. Philipp steps up to control the situation. But as soon as the song The cup of life by Ricky Martin comes out, everyone in the room forgets about the chaos and starts to sing and dance to the song. 

 

_Here we go! Ale, ale, ale_

_Go, go, go! Ale ale ale_

_Tonight's the night, we're gonna celebrate_

_The cup of life, ale, ale, ale~_

 

Marco is sitting on the couch. He didn't join the rest of the team for most of the time. He can't shake off the thought of Ann. He saw her sitting on one of the seats at the stadium this morning while Marco himself is on the bench. The girl came all the way from Munich to Berlin. Why is she here? Did she come all the way just to see Mario? Berlin is very far from Munich. And she was there all alone. He can't help to think that something is weird about this girl. He didn't tell Mario about it, and Mario probably didn't realise it as the boy was playing for the whole 90 minutes. Marco is worried. He has a weird feeling about this Ann girl. He has no idea why. Meanwhile, the others are singing to the Bon Jovi song, Livin on the prayer.

 

_Whoa, we're half way there_

_Whoa, livin' on a prayer_

_Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear_

_Whoa, livin' on a prayer~_

 

"Hey Marco, it's your song!" André said after the previous song ended. He hands him a microphone as soon as the song Yeah by Usher comes out. Marco brushed off the thought of Ann and accepts the microphone from André. Mario wants to get the other microphone, but Kira kept hogging on the microphone. Kira doesn't know the words to the song, but she still shamelessly wants to sing with Marco no matter what.

 

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Yeah, Yeah! Yeaah!_

_Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! Yeah, Yeah! Yeaah!_

_Up in the club with my homies, tryna get a lil' hum um, but la la la la yeah yeah key, 'al la la la la la is._

_I saw la la la la la up on me, from the game she was hu hum hum ha hum hum think that she knew me._

_So we hum hum to chill..._

 

Marco stopped singing and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Kira gives him a forced smile.

 

"I'm... I'm messing it up on purpose. Ahahaha..." she told him a bad joke. Mario signaling Kira to hand over the microphone to him. Kira has no other option but to hand the microphone to her brother. Mario continues to sing the song with Marco. Kira quickly goes to the washroom, turns on the tap and washes her face. She looks at her own reflection on the mirror.

 

"Kira, you're such a fool. Arhh... It's so embarrassing!!!" she said to herself with her hands on her face. Meanwhile in the karaoke room, everyone else is having fun. The next song is Feeling Good by Nina Simone, singing in Michael Bublé's version. It's Mats' song. He takes the microphone from Marco and starts to sing the song. His eyes are onto Benni instead of the TV screen.  Benni sings the song with him, and his eyes are on Mats. 

 

_Birds flying high, You know how I feel_

_Sun in the sky, You know how I feel_

_Breeze driftin' on by, You know how I feel_

_It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life_

_For me_

_And I'm feeling good~_

 

Thomas insists on singing Stern des Südens. He picks the song once again and finally this time he's able to sing it. The boy is satisfied. After he sings that song, it is time for the last song of the day. And since it's Thomas' birthday, he gets to choose the last song. He chose a song called Humba Tätärä. Thomas leads the whole team to sing the song. The whole team begins to dance while singing the song.

 

_Gib mir ein H_

_Gib mir ein U_

_Gib mir ein M_

_Gib mir ein B_

_Gib mir ein A_  
  
_Wir singen Humba Humba Humba Tätärä Tätärä Tätärä_

_Wir singen Humba Humba Humba Tätärä, dann singen alle Mann das selbe noch einmal~[1]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Humba Tätärä song - It's a very famous chant in Germany. Thomas Müller loves to chant this so yeah, here it is. 
> 
> Thomas said in his interview that Stern des Südens is his favourite song. And Hey baby is Per's karaoke song, so there's that. :)
> 
> That Ricky Martin song is a football anthem for me. I had to put that in. :)
> 
> I'm not sure about the karaoke places in Germany, but we have something called priority button where you can jump the queue, so you can have your song on the top of the list even if you just requested it. Kira and Thomas probably always go to karaokes so they know this trick.
> 
> Happy labours day! This is a bit of a short and fun chapter with a tiny bit of important hint. It's just me playing around with some songs. Songs always inspire me in captions and fiction. :D
> 
> I'm not sure if there's anyone here is also reading my caption comic: Random Fandom. Sorry for the lack of updates for that... I have almost 0 inspirations in captions right now... all the forces are in this fic. No, I lied. I just did one. :P
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Kira is trying to impress Marco  
> \- Marco and Mario are being extra nice to Kira  
> \- I'll do anything for you, Mats


	11. Everything I Do, I Do It for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira changes for Marco
> 
> Marco and Mario being nice to Kira
> 
> Benni would do anything for Mats
> 
> Things that Monika do for Lukas

"Kira Götze, do you take Marco Reus to be your lawfully wedded husband?" said the priest.

 

 "I do." Kira replied.

 

"Marco Reus, do you take Kira Götze to be your lawfully wedded wife?" said the priest.

 

_Bang bang into the room (I know ya want it)  
_

_Bang bang all over you (I'll let ya have it)  
_

_Wait a minute lemme take you there  
_

_Wait a minute till ya ~_

 

"What the..." Kira muttered. The sound of her alarm has woken her from her sweet dream. She wishes that dream didn't end so soon. Actually she wishes that wedding scene wasn't a dream at all. She opens her eyes and wakes up to stop the alarm. She looks at the screen of her phone with her half asleep eyes. It is a Monday morning. Kira grunted. She hates Mondays. Well, who likes Mondays anyway. She gets up from her bed and goes to the washroom to freshen up herself. After that, she goes back to her room to get some clothes. When she opens her cupboard, she saw a black pleated skirt hanging in the cupboard. It was a birthday present from Marco. It has been hanging there since the day she got it. She has been hesitated to wear it, but today she finally decided to wear it. Maybe Marco was waiting for her to wear it. Meanwhile Mario is in his room, preparing for school too. He runs through his hair and takes another look in the mirror. He is all set for school. The little brother goes downstairs after preparing himself. Kira isn't there yet. Weird. This rarely happens.

 

"Kira?" Mario calls her.

 

"Just a minute." Kira responded. Minutes later Kira comes down from the stairs wearing a white T-shirt and the black skirt. Mario looks at her with a raised eyebrow. He whistles at her. Kira looks at him with a confused face.

 

"Kira, you look different today." said the brother.

 

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" asked Kira.

 

"No, silly. You're wearing a skirt!" Mario answered.

 

"Well... what's wrong with it? Girls wear skirts. And I'm a girl." said Kira, who is trying to cover up her real reason.

 

"But you don't wear skirts." said Mario.

 

 "I do now." Kira shot back.

 

"Wait..." said Mario, while signaling Kira with a hand.

 

"What?" asked the sister.

 

"This t-shirt doesn't match with your skirt." Mario said.

 

"Really?" said Kira as she looks at her own clothes.

 

"Go and change the blue and white stripes. You know, the one with long sleeves." said Mario. The boy is very fashion conscious and he knows very well about his sister's wardrobe. Kira listens to her brother's advice and goes back to her room to change. Minutes later, she comes down wearing a T-shirt with blue and white stripes.

 

"Nice! We're good to go." said Mario with a bright smile. Both Kira and Mario goes out and take their shoes from the shoe rack. Mario spot Kira wearing sneakers.

 

 "Stop it!" he shouted.

 

"What?" she said and turns her head to her brother.

 

"You're wearing sneakers?" said Mario.

 

"What's wrong?" Kira asked.

 

"No! You can't wear skirts with sneakers!" Mario responded.

 

"Why not? I always wear sneakers!" Kira answered.

 

"No! Take it off!" Mario shouted.

 

"Okay, okay... So, I have to pair them with these flats?" asked Kira as she removes the sneakers, and takes a pair of flats from the shoe rack.

 

"Yes." said Mario as he gives her a thumbs up.

 

"Oh my god, Mario, we're so late!" said Kira as she looks at her watch. The kids ran to school, and as expected they ended up late. Kira goes to her classroom, but her teacher Mr Guardiola summons her out of the classroom. She stands outside of the classroom. Thomas, who was also late today, stands beside her.

 

"Oh mein gott! Tommy, what happened to you?" she asked.

 

"I fell off from a horse." Thomas replied. Thomas has bandages on his head, arms and knees. He looks in a pretty bad shape.

 

"You fell from a horse?! Oh my god... Are you alright? You have bandages all over." Kira asked.

 

"I'm okay. Just a bit bruises here and there." Thomas replied.

 

"How many fingers I have?" asked Kira as she shows Thomas three fingers.

 

"Three. There's nothing wrong with me, Kira. It's just that Lisa..." said Thomas.

 

"So all of this is horses stuff are because of Lisa? Does she know that?" asked Kira.

 

"No. I don't think so. She hates me right now. I don't even know what to do..." said Thomas.

 

"Oh wow... that's so sweet." said Kira. She is moved by Thomas' actions. She didn't expect Thomas would do so much for a girl. Doing the research, helping out and even learn to ride a horse just for a girl. If only someone could do that for her. If only Marco would do that for her, she would be head over heels.

 

"Kiki, why are you wearing a skirt?" asked Thomas.

 

"Uhm... I just felt like wearing one." she answered.

 

"You're wearing a skirt! It's must be something!" said Thomas with a raised eyebrow. "It's must be a boy!"

 

"Tommy, stop exaggerating." Kira replied.

 

"Is it Mats?" asked Thomas.

 

"No, it's not Mats." Kira answered.

 

"Is it Fips?" asked Thomas.

 

"Thomas, stop it!" Kira replied.

 

***

 

It is recess time. Marco and Mario are in the topic of Justin Bieber. Both Marco and Mario are fans of Justin Bieber. Marco in particular knows all the words to every Bieber song. Justin Bieber is coming to Germany for his world tour, and the boys are super excited.

 

"Oh mein gott! Mario, did you know Justin is coming to Germany?" asked Marco.

 

"Yes! He posted in his Facebook! I wanna go to his concert!" Mario exclaimed. "Do you think we can get his tickets? I heard people are going to camp for a whole day just to get his tickets!" 

 

"I hope we could." Marco replied. He hopes he could get it somewhere, somehow.

 

"By the way, my sister is wearing a skirt." said Mario.

 

"What's wrong with that?" said Marco as he tried to defend Kira.

 

Marco is the only child in his family. He always wanted to have siblings. He's glad to know Mario and André that he could call brothers for life. But he would like to have a sister too. And Mario has a sister. That's a good thing, because Marco always wanted a sister. Having a sister is really different from having a brother. A sister will always be your number 1 cheerleader when you play football. A sister will always make soul food when you're sick. A sister can be the one to talk about your relationship problems. A sister will always bail you out when you're in trouble. A sister will be brutally honest about your fashion sense. A sister will teach you life lessons that your teacher will never teach you. That is, at least what Marco Reus thinks the definition of a sister is.

 

Marco is always nice to Kira. But Marco and Kira's relationship has always been nothing more than just casual friends. Lately Kira has been getting closer with the boys. Just maybe if Marco puts some effort, he could have a sister just like Mario. Maybe he could use this time to get closer with Kira. Kira is always influential to her parents. It will probably help if his relationship with Mario didn't go well. If just in case Mr and Mrs Götze doesn't approve of his relationship with Mario, Kira could help them. And what could possibly go wrong by being nice to her?

 

This moment, the boys bump into Kira.

 

"Kira, you look really nice in this skirt!" Marco compliments Kira with a smile.

 

"Really? Thank you." Kira replied with a smile. She is blushing.

 

"Well, yeah... but why would Ms Götze here suddenly wear skirts?" Mario replied with a snark.

 

"Mario, you always wanted Kira to wear skirts. Right? Isn't it nice that now she's wearing skirts?" Marco said. Marco bought that skirt for Kira because Mario has always complaint about Kira's lack of feminism. Marco wanted to make Mario happy by being nice to his family members. "I chose this skirt for her."

 

"Oh, now it makes sense." said Mario with a snark. He knows his sister doesn't have such good taste in fashion. Kira glares at her little brother.

 

***

 

Mats and Benni are hiding in a corner of the school to spend time with each other. Mats rests his head to Benni's shoulder. They saw Kira passing by.

 

"Kira is wearing a skirt?" asked Benni as he looks at Kira.

 

"She sure looks cute in it. Doesn't she?" Mats replied. Benni nods. A few minutes later, Mats sighs. Benni looks at him, and he knows about Mats' problem. The blond hair boy takes out some money from his wallet.

 

"Here. Take this." said Benni as he hands 300 Euros to Mats.

 

"Huh? What is this?" asked the confused Mats. He has no idea what Benni is doing.

 

"It's for your rent." said Benni. Mats has told him about his situation at home. He told Benni about it just to release all the tension, but he did not expect Benni to give him money.

 

"Benni, I can't take this." said Mats.

 

"We're in this together. Remember? You can always give me back later." said Benni. The boy stole the money from his mother when his mother did not notice. He just wants to help Mats' financial problems. It is very unusual that Benni would steal money from his mom. The blond boy is always a goody two shoes. He would never dare to do something like that in normal circumstances. But for Mats, he is willing to do so.

 

"Where did you get this money from?" asked the dark hair boy.

 

"Just take it. It's my savings." Benni lied.

 

"Really?" Mats wasn't fully convinced with Benni's reason, but he accepts the money from the blond boy.

 

"And don't bother about those stupid people. They aren't worth our time." said Benni as holds Mats' hand. He referred to the bullies that have been calling Mats names about being gay.

 

***

 

The school has ended. Marco goes home with a bright smile, knowing that he did something for Mario. He opens the door of his house and saw some luggage on the floor. He walks into the house, and a man comes out.

 

"Papa? Papa!!!" Marco exclaimed. He runs to his father and hugs him. It's been two months since the boy has last seen his father. The businessman loves his son, but he hardly spends time with his son. He always showers his son with gifts to compensate his love. He would buy anything for his only child. But what Marco really wanted is his father's love more than anything else.

 

"Do you miss me, Marco?" said the father.

 

"Of course!" Marco replied.

 

"Do you want anything?" asked Mr Reus.

 

"Hmm... I only want you." the boy answered. He hugs his father tightly. Then he suddenly remembered that he wanted some Justin Bieber tickets.

 

"Papa, do you think you can get me a pair of Justin Bieber tickets?" asked the teenager as he shakes his father's arm. "Please... papa, please..." 

 

 "Okay, okay. I'll see what I can do." his father replied as he laughed.

 

***

 

Lukas and Bastian are in a double date at a local restaurant with their girlfriends Monika and Sarah. The boys are sitting opposite each other, with their girlfriends beside them.  Sarah is clinging to Bastian's arm while reading the menu, and it gives Lukas an uncomfortable feeling. Monika saw it so she clings to Lukas' arm. Bastian saw Monika caressing Lukas and he is unhappy. Monika smirks at him. Sarah talks to Lukas and Monika about her upcoming party and after a while the food finally came.

 

"Say ah..." said Monika to Lukas. She is feeding Lukas a piece of meat and Lukas accepts it.

 

"Thank you, Moni." said Lukas with a polite tone and a smile. Monika smirks. Bastian is furious. He holds his fist tightly. He is jealous of Monika being lovely dovey with Lukas. But he can't do anything as Lukas isn't his boyfriend. To the public eye, Sarah is his partner, not Lukas.

 

"Sarah, I want some pork chops!" he said with an angry tone.

 

"Okay, okay... here you go, big boy." said Sarah as she feeds him with a piece of pork. Monika laughs silently with her hand covering her mouth.

 

***

 

"Oh mein gott!!! Justin Bieber VIP tickets with backstage passes? How did you get them?" Mario squealed as he saw the tickets. Marco got those tickets from his father. Mr Reus happens to know the people from the organising event. They gave Mr Reus those tickets as a gift. The boys are extremely excited about the concert. They jumped up and down and screamed with joy. Marco is happy watching the chubby boy smiling. Mario can't wait to tell his parents about the concert, but...

 

"I'm sorry, Marco. Mario can't join you for the concert." said Mrs Götze.

 

"Why, Mrs Götze?" asked Marco with a long face.

 

"Mr Götze and I won't be in town on that day. Maybe you can bring André or other friends to the concert? said Mrs Götze.

 

"Mom! That's not fair! You let Kira go to the Taylor Swift concert!" Mario pouted.

 

"That's different, honey. Jackie's elder sister  was with them. She's 20. You, on the other hand, you don't have a grown up to accompany you. I can't let you kids wondering around at night like that. Your father and I won't be in town. What happens if something happened to you two?" said Mrs Götze. "And don't even try to sneak out. Your sister will be guarding you on behalf of me."

 

"Mom, that's not fair!" said Mario with dismay. But Mrs Götze refused to change her mind and she shakes her head before walking away.

 

"Are you thinking the same thing?" said Mario as he smirks to Marco. 

 

"I guess so." said Marco with a smile.

 

Mario's parents won't be in town on that night, that means the only person in the house is Kira. If Kira agrees to let them to the Justin Bieber concert without Mrs Götze's knowledge, they could get away with it.  It's time to bribe the sister! Bribing Kira is not hard, Mario thinks. He starts by buying Kira's favourite, Kit Kat. 

 

"Guess what? I bought you some... Kit Kat!" said Mario as he pulls out a pack of Kit Kat from a bag.

 

"Stop it, Mario! You're not going to the concert." she said as she pulls out a bigger pack of Kit Kat which her mom bought for her. Mario's mouth opens wide. 

 

"I'll let you join the team's events!" Mario said.

 

"Not working... I've already had a pass, remember?" Kira replied.

 

"I'll clean your room for a week! And do your chores!" said Mario.

 

"It's not gonna work, Mario." said Kira.

 

"What about a month? That's a great offer." Mario asked.

 

"No thanks." the sister replied.

 

Mario sighs. All his ideas are not working. He messages Marco about his progress.

 

_Sunny: Dammit! It's not working. Mom has prepared all her defense. :(_

_Marcinho: Hmm... I'll help you. Maybe two is better than one? ;)_

_Sunny: Ok, I'll continue to bribe on my side._

 

The next day, Marco goes to the Götze house to find Kira. "Kira." he called.

 

"Yes, Marco?" Kira replied.

 

"I think there is something you're missing." He takes out a butterfly hair clip from his pocket and carefully clips it to Kira's hair. "I think this will look good on you." He flashes a smile. Kira blushes.

 

"Kira, can I ask you a favour?" Marco asked.

 

"Yes! Anything!" Kira replied.

 

"Well... About the Justin Bieber concert..." he said.

 

"Yeah, sure. Of course, I won't tell mom." said Kira with a wink.

 

"Really? Oh my god! Thanks, Kira." said Marco with a bright smile. He hugs Kira. Oh wow, that was easy. He thinks.

 

After that Marco walks away, he saw a letter that is written to Mario on the counter. It has an initial written on the letter. He remembered that initial. It is from Ann. Marco has an uneasy feeling. Meanwhile, Kira dashes to the nearest mirror so that she could see the hair clip. The girl feels ecstatic. She spends the whole night clipping that hair clip on and off her hair, and then stares at the beautiful butterfly pattern of the hair clip smiling.

 

***

 

The concert day has finally arrived. Mario looks at the mirror and runs his hair though his fingers. Marco arrives the Götze house wearing a Justin Bieber T-shirt. Mario is wearing the same T-shirt. 

 

"Auf gehts!" Kira exclaimed. The boys look at her, looking confused. 

 

"Kira, where are you going?" Mario asked.

 

"To the Justin Bieber concert!" Kira answered.

 

"Kira, you're a Bieber fan?" asked Marco.

 

"I didn't know you have tickets." Mario said to Kira.

 

"No, I don't. But Marco has." she said as she looks at Marco. And she starts to sing. "Baby, baby, baby, ohhh..."

 

"Baby, baby, baby, noooo..." Marco replied. "Kira, I don't have an extra ticket for you. I'm sorry!" He felt bad for Kira.

 

"Oh..." Kira replied. She is disappointed. She felt very down. "Well, have fun in the concert."

 

"Kira, are you okay?" Mario asked.

 

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine." said Kira. "Wait, let me accompany you boys to the concert venue. Mom would kill me if I let you boys running free like that."

 

"Merlin, auf gehts!" Kira calls her dog Merlin. She grabs a jacket and goes out with the boys. They hop on to a bus to go to the stadium. After they arrive the concert venue Kira part ways with the boys. She goes to a Starbucks nearby with her German Shepherd dog to wait for the boys. She orders a cup of mocha and sits on a chair, staring at her dog. Merlin is sitting opposite of Kira. Her chin is resting on her right hand.

 

"Merlin, why am I so stupid?" she asked her dog. Merlin just stares at its owner with its puppy eyes, ears perking. Kira sighs.

 

Meanwhile in the concert, Marco felt bad for Kira. "Mario, I didn't know your sister likes Justin. If I have known, I would have gotten a ticket for her."

 

"Well, she's not a Justin fan for sure. She just wants to be a busy body like always. I think she'll be fine by tomorrow." Mario replied to comfort his friend. "Don't think too much about it. Lets enjoy the concert. Shall we?"

 

Marco nods. Mario and Marco sing to every song in the concert and dance around to the songs. The boys are having fun in the concert. At the end of the concert, they went backstage and have a picture taken with Justin Bieber. It was an unforgettable concert for the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated with the rest of the concert storyline, because next chapter is going to be full of stuff... and it's not related to the concert so I'll end it here.
> 
> The title comes from that cheesy Byran Adams song.
> 
> Germany is one of the top 10 dog-friendly countries. Dogs can ride public transports and go to coffee shops. I wish our country does that too :(
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- my little secret


	12. My Dirty Little Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira's little secret
> 
> Thomas' true identity
> 
> The story behind Montana's relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song of the chapter: The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret
> 
> Warning: slight domestic violence

Kira has always been secretive about her feelings towards Marco. She never tells anyone about it. Not her mom, not Mario, not Jackie or even her best friend Thomas. She certainly can't tell Thomas about it. If Thomas knows, then the whole school would know. The boy just can't keep his mouth shut. Since Kira can't tell anyone her feeling towards Marco, she pours her heart out on a blog. She has a little blog called Little Bumble Bee by the pseudonym Hermione148. It documents Marco's life in the football field and also her love towards Marco. It's been three days since she last updated her blog. Little that she knows the blog has gained a little more popularity than she has expected. It begins when someone from the school found out about Kira's blog and recognised one of the pictures in the blog is the school field.

 

"Kira, have you figured out who Bumble Bee is?" asked Jackie. "I think it's Toni."

 

"Huh?" Kira puzzled. She had no idea what Jackie is talking about. 

 

"Oh god... this is why you never become popular." said Jackie. She shows Kira her phone. A blog appears on the screen. "This. The latest trend after Gangnam style." 

 

Kira snatches Jackie's phone. Her mouth opens wide. It is her blog. Her blog about Marco. How could this become popular? "Why... When... How... how on earth this became a trend?" Kira asked, still dumbfounded by the fact that her blog has become famous.

 

"Beats me. How did a horse dance become a trend?" said Jackie. "Now give me back my phone."

 

After Jackie walks away, Kira frantically looks for her phone in her bag. She takes out her phone and logs into her blog. She scrolls down the screen to see the messages. There are already thousands of messages in the blog, mostly asking who is Bumble Bee. She changes her blog to private setting. She lets out a huge sigh.

 

***

 

"Thank you, Moni!" Bastian mimics Lukas' voice in a sarcastic way at his own room all by himself. He is still holding grudges about that incident on their double date the previous day. But he can't tell Lukas that he's angry. That would have been a smack on his face, as he was also lovely dovey with his girlfriend, Sarah at that time. Deep down inside Bastian's heart, he wants Lukas to be his boyfriend. He's jealous of Monika whenever she's with Lukas because he loves Lukas more than anyone in the world. But he just can't admit it to the world. He doesn't have the guts to admit it. Bastain is insecure of his own identity. The vice captain's life is so perfect now. He's a vice captain in Die Mannschaft, everyone likes him and he has the hottest girl in school as his girlfriend. He's afraid that people would look at him differently if people found out that he loves a boy. He is afraid to lose everything that he has now.

 

The vice-captain is very frustrated. He wants to go for a drink and forget all the unhappiness. He calls his friend Philipp.

 

"Hey Philipp, can you come out now?" he asked. Philipp agrees. Bastian asks Philipp out to a local bistro. He orders beers and basically talking gibberish to Philipp. Philipp has no idea what Bastian is talking the whole night, but being a good friend that he is, he just follows suit. Bastian kept talking and feeding Philipp with beers for the whole night. 

 

The next day, Philipp's head is aching and his brain seem fuddle. He just got a hangover from last night. The captain was drinking with Bastian for the whole night but he ended up drunk instead of Bastian. Philipp opens his eyes and found himself in a foreign room. It isn't his own room. So where the hell is he? And how did he ended up sleeping here? It looks like a girl's room. The room is full of pink colour objects, mostly in Hello Kitty theme. There is a row of soft toys lining nicely on the shelf beside the bed. He puts his right hand on his head, trying to calm himself down from the pain, and suddenly a head popped out of nowhere, and appears just inches away from Philipp's face.

 

"Philipp san!!! You're awake!" Mini Mini exclaimed.

 

"Ahhh!!!" Philipp squealed. "Where am I? What happened??!! Why am I shirtless?" he screamed.

 

"You don't remember what happened last night?" Mini Mini asked, looking at him with a pair of big dark brown eyes. "Or are you pretending not to remember?"

 

"I don't know. Why am I supposed to know?" Philipp replied. "Nothing happened, right? Please tell me nothing happened!"

 

"If you say so..." the girl walks away in a sad tone.

 

"Wait! Where's my shirt?" Philipp asked.

 

"Oh, I've washed it. You can wear these first." said Mini Mini with a smile.

 

Philipp quickly puts on the T-shirt and runs downstairs. There are a few people looking at him. "Nothing happened!" said Philipp as he runs away.

 

***

 

"Hey, have you guys figured out who Bumble Bee is?" Mario asked.

 

"I thought the blog is now in private?" Julian asked.

 

"Well, someone did a backup of it and posted on Facebook." said Per.

 

"Isn't the author herself who changed her blog to Facebook?" Jérôme asked. 

 

"Nope. It says it's just a fan page. The admin is also trying to figure out who is Bumble Bee." Per replied.

 

"Is it Mats?" Christoph gives a guess.

 

"Nah... I think... it's Benni!" Mats replied while looking and smiling at Benni. Benni blushes.

 

"No, it's not!" Benni replied with a shy smile.

 

"Bee is black and yellow so it could be a blond who wears black. Or it could be a black hair with yellow shirt." Mesut reads out the Facebook post.

 

"Damn I hate that she wrote everything in poems and secret notes!" said Thomas. "Why can't she say it out straight?"

 

"Well, I think this is the fun part." said Philipp.

 

"Philipp, you're interested in this blog?" Lukas asked.

 

"Why not? It's fun to guess." the captain replied with a smile. "And I like the way she writes it."

 

"I think it's Mario! He's popular nowadays." said André. He leans over to teases Marco. "Marco, did you write this for Mario?"

 

"No. I don't think it's for Mario." Marco replied. He looked upset. Marco didn't like the fact that Mario is so interested in that blog. The chubby boy has been reading the blog several times, and he seems to enjoy reading the blog. Mario pats Marco's shoulder and tries to make his friend to smile with his own smile.

 

"Nah... I don't think its me." Mario said with a smile.

 

***

 

It is the Champions League group stage, Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid. Thomas brings Kira to the game at Allianz Arena. Both of the teenagers are wearing Bayern Munich jerseys to the game. Thomas is wearing number 25 and Kira is wearing number 12. Thomas have front row seats as always. They arrived the stadium early, and sitting beside Thomas is a famous businessman Gerd Müller. Gred is the top 10 wealthiest man in Germany. He is also well known for his involvements in charity events. The man smiles to both Thomas and Kira. The kids smile back at him.

 

"Tommy, we're so lucky. We're sitting next to Gerd Müller again! He looks so down to earth and nice in person." Kira whispered to Thomas.

 

"Yeah, yeah..." Thomas replied. Then, he tries to change the subject. "I hope Bayern is going to crush Real Madrid today!"

 

"I don't know. Lately, the a lot of the main players are here are injured..." Kira replied.

 

"Of course they will win! They need our support! How can you say such a thing? The team needs us! Especially now! I'm so disappointed in you, Kiki." Thomas replied with an unhappy tone.

 

Few minutes later, a 5-year-old kid sits beside Kira, accompanied by his father. Kira looks at the kid, and then she turns to Thomas, and says, "You know, I still don't get why your dad would buy tickets, but he never shows up." Thomas just smiles at her.

 

"Well, he's busy." Thomas answered. Then, he changed the subject again.

 

"Have you found out who Bumble Bee is?" asked Thomas.

 

"Goddamit, Thomas! You guys are still in that topic?" said the annoyed Kira.

 

"Duh, it's the latest thing in school now. Why are you not interested? It's not like you at all." said Thomas.

 

"I just... it's a dumb blog, that's all." said Kira. Then, Kira suddenly remembered something. She pulls out a Bayern München scarf from her bag. "Anyway, you left your scarf at my house again." she said. The brunette girl drapes the scarf on Thomas like how a girlfriend would do for a boyfriend. "There. Now you won't lose it." she said. "Oh yeah, Tommy, I'm going to the ladies. Can you take care of my bag?" 

 

"Yeah, sure. Just go!" Thomas replied with a smile. Kira goes off to the ladies after she hands her bag to Thomas. Gred looks at the young boy, smiling.

 

"So that's your little girlfriend?" the man asked.

 

"You mean Kira? No, she's not my girlfriend." Thomas replied and shakes his head.

 

"Is it? She is the only girl that you bring to the games." Gred continues. "She got my approval if you ask me."

 

"Nah... She is more like a brother to me. I wouldn't choose her as my girlfriend." Thomas replied.

 

"Hmm... then who would be your girlfriend?" the father asked.

 

"Li..." Thomas paused. Maybe he shouldn't tell his father about Lisa yet. Because Lisa isn't his girlfriend... yet. 

 

"Lily Aldridge!" the boy spit out a Victoria Secret model's name.

 

"Hahaha..." the man laughed. "Alright, my boy. I'm looking forward to meeting Ms Lily Aldridge."

 

After a few minutes, Kira comes back to her seat just in time for the game. Thomas and Kira continue to chat about the game. The stadium is already packed by now. The crowd puts up a big banner written "Niemals Aufgeben"[1], and they start to sing Seven Nation Army as the game begins. At the 27th minute, a Bayern München player scores a goal.

 

 **Commentator:**  “In der 27. Spielminute! TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR für den FC Bayern München! Mit der Nummer 5 ..FRANZ"[2]

 **Fans:**  “BECKENBAUER”

 **Commentator:**  “FRANZ”

 **Fans:**  “BECKENBAUER”

 **Commentator :**  “FRAAAAAANZ”

 **Fans:**  “BECKEEEEENBAUUUUUER”

 **Commentator :**  “Neuer Spielstand[3] : FC Bayern München?”

 **Fans:**  “EINS”[4]

 **Commentator:**  “Real Madrid?”

 **Fans:**  “NULL”

 **Commentator:**  “Danke!”

 **Fans:**  “Bitte!”[5]

 

***

 

Thomas is eager to find out Bumble Bee's identity, and the best way is to find out from smart people like Philipp, who will probably able to spot some clues.

 

"Philipp, are you still reading this blog?"

 

"Yeah, I like the way the author describes it. It looks like someone I know." Philipp replied.

 

"What have you found out so far?" Thomas asked.

 

"The way she describes, and based on her username "Hermione148", it is definitely from a girl. Since the blog is about football, bee is black and yellow in colour, which is probably referring to Borussia Dortmund. He is a Dortmund fan. The possibilities would be Mats, Marco, İlkay, Marcel, Kevin, Erik, Matthias, Roman. One of her posts describes the boy, which is a footballer player, an attacking player. He is tall and has blond hair. And in another post she talks about their differences, which is the football team they support. She stated that red and yellow cannot be orange. Since yellow is Borussia Dortmund, red is mostly Bayern München." 

 

"There's only one possibility for a blond attacking player who is a Dortmund fan, which is Marco." the captain said with a smile. "But I still have no idea who is Hermione148, though."

 

After listening to Philipp's analysis, Thomas tries to figure out who is the mysterious girl. He suddenly remembered that Kira had painted a bee on her hand in several occasions, the try outs and also during the team's friendly matches. Kira also asked Marco to the Bayern Munich game before... And she's not "interested" in this blog.

 

"Hmm..."

 

***

 

Scott and Montana are watching a romantic movie at Scott's house. Scott is cuddling Montana. In the middle of the movie, he kisses Montana neck, down to her shoulder. He tries to remove the girl's clothes. Montana pushes Scott away from her. 

 

"I'm sorry, I'm not ready for this yet." said Montana.

 

"Why not? You said you love me, but yet you don't want to do it. What does this mean?" Scott replied.

 

"I'm sorry. I can't do it!" she cried.

 

"Is it about that whim again?" said Scott in an angry tone.

 

"Scott, he's not a whim. His name is André." Montana replied.

 

"André? So his name is André. You guys have been that close?" the basketball player asked.

 

"No, it's not like like that!" Montana cried. 

 

"What does he have and I don't, huh?" Scott grabbed Montana's head and kisses her by force. Montana struggles to get away from him, but Scott was too strong for her. At last, Scott releases her.

 

"You ungrateful bitch!" he slaps Montana. Then, he slaps her again and beats her a few times. Montana is unable to defend herself as Scott is physically stronger than her. 

 

"No, please, stop! I'm sorry!" she cried.

 

Suddenly, someone opens the door. It was Scott's brother. Montana sees the opportunity to escape. She quickly grabs her bag and runs away from the house. 

 

***

 

Kira walks home by herself after school today as Mario is going to Marco's house. When she arrives her house, Thomas is already standing in front of her house. He is smirking. Kira knows this smirk. It can't be good.

 

"Bumble bee is Marco! Am I right, Hermione148?" Thomas asked.

 

Kira looks at Thomas with eyes wide open...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] niemals aufgeben - "never give up" in German  
> [2]“In der XX. Spielminute! TOR für den FC Bayern München! Mit der Nummer X ..(player name) - “In the XXth minute of play! Goal for FC Bayern München! With the number X .. (player name)” in German  
> [3] Neuer Spielstand - "The new scoreline" in German  
> [4] eins - "one" in German  
> [5] bitte - "you're welcome" in German
> 
> Credit to pcdolski for the translation of the Bayern Munich fan cheers. Of course, I have to change the player name because Bastian is a student in this fic. Here's the original post:  
> http://pcdolski.tumblr.com/post/105030289593/thank-you-so-much-for-answering-my-question  
> Thomas' number is 25 in Bayern, and number 12 is the number for fans in Bayern Munich so there's that.
> 
> I'm using Gerd Müller as Thomas' dad just because they have the same surname. Usually, the parents are just called Mr or Mrs XX because I'm lazy to give them names and I don't want to have same names appear in the fic, just in case. But for this case because no one knew Thomas' dad is, so they call him by his name.
> 
> I wanted to complete this on Monday night, but I'm having a little flu... I feel like I'm writing gibberish.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> -denial


	13. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas and Kira's agreement
> 
> Benni denies from stealing
> 
> Sarah suspects Bastian

"What are you talking about, Tommy?" said Kira, who is trying to cover up her secret. She is praying that Thomas is just making a wild guess.

 

"Kira, you are Hermione148. You always love those magic stories. Hermione is your favourite character in Harry Potter. 148 is 14th of August, your birthday. A bee's colour is black and yellow, which represents Borussia Dortmund. You always paint a bumble bee on your hand. There is only one Dortmund fan that plays as an attacking midfielder in  Die Mannschaft, which is Marco. So, Bumble bee is Marco Reus." said Thomas.

 

"Alright, alright, Sherlock Holmes, you got me. How did you figure it out? And who else has known about it?" Kira replied. She can't deny it since Thomas has found out everything. 

 

"I have my ways." said Thomas. "As far as I'm concerned, no one has figured out about you. But Philipp has figured out about Marco."

 

So Thomas is the only one that figured out. At least it's not too bad, for now. Kira is slightly relieved. But even that, Kira is still concern that more people will find out soon. She has to make sure Thomas won't tell anyone about it.

 

"Tommy, I beg you. Please don't tell anyone about it. No one should find out about this. You hear me? No one." said Kira, as she grabbed Thomas' hands, begging for the boy to keep it a secret. She looks at Thomas with a pair of brown puppy eyes.

 

"Well..." Thomas hesitated.

 

"I'll do your assignments!" Kira said.

 

"Hmm..." Thomas is thinking about his offer.

 

"I'll let you copy my answers in the exams!" Kira said as she did not get any response from Thomas.

 

"That and a want a horse!" said Thomas.

 

"What? A horse?" asked Kira.

 

"Yeah, a horse. Get me a horse." said Thomas with a grin.

 

“How am I supposed to get you a horse? I don’t even have one!” Kira responded. "And how are you going to keep a horse? You live in a flat!"

 

"I don't care! Just get me one!" said Thomas.

 

"But I can't. I can't even afford to buy a dog, let alone a horse." Kira replied.

 

"Buzzzzz..." Thomas imitates the sound of a bee.

 

"Okay, okay, I'll get you a horse." said Kira. "But you have to promise me that you can't tell anyone about Bumble bee."

 

"Bumble bee? Never heard of it." Thomas replied with a wink.

 

***

 

"Philipp san!!!" Mini Mini exclaimed as soon as she saw Philipp when she enters the class. The captain tried to avoid the girl, but there's only so much space in the classroom. Eventually, he couldn't hide from the girl.

 

"Philipp san!" said Mini Mini.

 

"Stop calling me Philipp san!" said Philipp.

 

"Okay, Philipp san. I just want to return your shirt." said Mini Mini.

 

'What shirt?" asked Philipp. He has forgotten about the shirt he left on Mini Mini's house the other day.

 

"I've cleaned your shirt." she took out a clean and nicely ironed black shirt from her bag. It is folded nicely. She hands the shirt to him. "The shirt that you left at my house the other day. You slept in my room, remember?"

 

"It's not my shirt. You must be dreaming." said Philipp, who tries to deny it. The captain wants to pretend that the incident never happened.

 

"Hey, that looks like your favourite shirt!" said Bastian, who just arrived the classroom.

 

"Shut up, Bastian!" Philipp sneered. Then, he turns to Mini Mini and says, "You must be dreaming. I never went to your house."

 

"Yes, you did. I left you at her foster parents' bistro that day. Mini said she will take care of you." said Bastian. Mini Mini nods in agreement. The other students looked at Philipp, whispering about something. The students have weird smiles on their faces. Bastian grins at Philipp. Philipp stared at Bastian, looking very angry.

 

***

 

Montana is wearing a long sleeve top and long skirt today to cover up all the bruises that she has. She uses some makeup to cover up the bruises on her face. But some of them are still visible no matter how hard she tries to cover it. André saw the bruises on her arm when Montana lifts her arm to reach the shelf. Montana quickly hides it as soon as André saw it.

 

"Montana? What happened to you? There are bruises all around your arm and face." André asked.

 

"I fell down from the stairs." said Montana.

 

"It doesn't look like it. Who did this to you?" asked André.

 

"No one. And it's none of your business." Montana replied with an angry tone and runs away from André. André looks concern as he watches the pretty girl runs away.

 

***

 

It is time for training, Mesut and Sami are on the way to the training ground. They are chatting while walking their way to the football field. Suddenly, there is ice cold water splashing down on them from above.

 

*splash*

 

"OH MY GOD!" both boys shouted. The boys look above, but there was nobody in the building. They are confused. Who did this? Did he or she do this on purpose? And why?

 

Mats, on the other hand, came early for football practice as usual, and he is waiting for Benni. Kira saw Mats and she approaches him.

 

"So how are you and Benni?" Kira asked.

 

"What about us?" asked Mats. He doesn't really understand what Kira wants to say.

 

"Your relationship with Benni." Kira responded as she leans towards Mats.

 

"We're just friends." Mats replied. He is hoping that Kira won't ask further questions.

 

"I saw you guys kissing the other day." she whispered to Mats' ear with a smile. "As far as I'm concerned, friends don't kiss each other on the lips."

 

Mats is speechless. This isn't good. Somebody has found out his relationship with Benni. It was supposed to be a secret. Mats didn't want anyone to know about his relationship with Benni until he gets Mrs Höwedes' approval. He looks at the smiling Kira.

 

"Kira, can you please keep it a secret? I can't let anyone know about this." Mats asked with a serious face as he grabs Kira's hand.

 

"I don't think you should be ashamed of who you are. Homo, hetro or bi, you're still Mats Hummels. It doesn't change the fact that you're a great student and an awesome football player. And you're still my friend. I'll be supporting you all the way." said Kira.

 

Mats tilts his head down, and lets out a sigh, before continuing. "Thanks, Kira. But it's not that simple. I hope you understand." 

 

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." she whispered. "By the way, your boy is here." Kira walks away as soon as she finishes talking. Benni walks towards Mats' direction, with Kira passing by. Kira winks at him, smiling. Benni is confused by her actions, but he continues to walk to Mats' direction.

 

"What did Kira said to you? She seems... happy." Benni asked.

 

"Nichts[1]." Mats responded.

 

"Oh, come on. Tell me." said Benni.

 

"Really, it's nothing." said Mats as he shook his head.

 

"I'm gonna tickle you until you confess!" said Benni with a smirk.

 

"No, don't!" said Mats. He starts to run away from Benni. Benni chases Mats and catches him, hunts him to the ground. The blond boy starts tickling Mats' waist. Mats could not stop laughing. He can't stand the tickling.

 

"HAHAHAHA... STOP IT, BENNI! Okay, okay, I'll tell you." said Mats.

 

Kira is walking towards a corner and she heard a shouting voice from the right side. It was calling her name. Kira turns to the side, it was Jackie.

 

"Kira!!! I saw you smiling with Mats and he touched your hands. Are you flirting with Mats?" said Jackie with an angry tone. "I can't believe you could do that to me! I'm your best friend!"

 

"No, I'm not! I'm not flirting with Mats!" Kira explained.

 

"Yes, you are! Stop denying it! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Jackie cried.

 

"I swear I didn't!" said Kira.

 

"I don't believe you! You liar!" Jackie shouted.

 

"I swear if I flirt with Mats I'll never get a boyfriend!" Kira shouted with a very serious face. There is silence for a few minutes as both girls take a few deep breaths, trying to recover from shouting.

 

"Well... that's a bit mean. Okay, I believe you." said Jackie as she stop crying.

 

***

 

Bastian has cancelled his date with Sarah after school. He told her that he wasn't feeling well. It was a lie. He just wants to spend time with Lukas. Bastian's parents and brother are not going to be back home before 7 pm, so he literary has the whole house by himself. Lukas and Bastian are in Bastian's room, lounging on Bastian's bed. Lukas snuggles Bastian, placing his head on Bastian's shoulder. His right-hand wraps around Bastian's waist. Both boys talk about the beautiful times they've spent together throughout the years. But suddenly the door bell rings.

 

"Ding dong!"

 

Who could that be? No one is supposed to be here. Bastian gets up from his bed and goes downstairs to open the door. While Lukas follows him until the staircase, he peeks through the stairs. Bastian opens the door.

 

"Sarah! What brings you here?" said Bastian as he opens the door.

 

"I got you some cough drops. You said you have a sore throat." said Sarah.

 

"Oh, yeah.*cough cough*" Bastian replied with a few fake coughs and receives the cough drops from Sarah. He is standing at the door, waiting for Sarah to leave, but Sarah is still standing outside, not even moved an inch.

 

"Well, you're not asking me to come in?" said Sarah.

 

"Oh, come in, come in!" Bastian replied.

 

Lukas saw Sarah coming in, so he ran upstairs as quickly as possible. He didn't notice anything on the floor and he stepped on a pen. "Ouch!" Lukas shouted. 

 

"What is that sound?" Sarah asked as she enters the house.

 

"What sound? I didn't hear anything." Bastian answered.

 

"I heard a voice. I think it's from upstairs." said Sarah as she goes to the staircase, wanted to go upstairs but she is stopped by Bastian.

 

"That's impossible! I'm the only one here." said Bastian.

 

"I swear I heard voices." she said. "Why are you looking so nervous?"

 

"No, I'm not. It's just you, sweetie. You must be hearing things. You must be tired." Bastian tried to counter Sarah's views.

 

"I guess so. The cheer leading competition is driving me crazy. The juniors can't keep up with our routine. And the new uniform is not even here yet." Sarah complained.

 

"I'll send you home." said Bastian.

 

"It's okay. I'll go back myself. You need to rest too, honey!" said Sarah.

 

"Okay, bye babe." said Bastian as he kisses Sarah's cheek. Sarah left the house. Bastian lets out a huge relief.

 

***

 

After having dinner with her son, Mrs Höwedes looks for the money that she put in the drawer few days ago. She opens the drawer, but there is no money inside. This is weird. Or maybe not. Maybe Mr Höwedes might have taken it. So she calls her husband to confirm it. But Mr Höwedes replies her that he wasn't the one who took it. In fact, he didn't even know about the existence of the 300 Euros that his wife put in the drawer. Mrs Höwedes starts to search around the house, every drawer, every cupboard, and every corner of the house with no avail. This is weird. Where is the money? Maybe her son has an idea on where the money is. So she asks her son Benni.

 

"Benni, have you seen the 300 Euros that I've placed here few days ago? I swear I put them in this drawer."

 

"No. I don't, mom." Benni lied.

 

"Hmm... that's weird. Your dad didn't take it. Your brother and your sister are in University, so they can't be the ones that took it. So, there's only one explanation to this." said Mrs Höwedes as she analyses the situation.

 

Benni gulps. He leans his back to the wall as further as he could from his mom. Mom has probably figured out that he was the one who stole the money. His hands are shaking. His legs are wobbling like jelly. There's no running away from this. He closes his eyes and he is going to confess everything to his mom, but...

 

"It must be a thief's doing. There must be an outsider that stole it. But there's nothing else missing apart from the 300 Euros so it must be someone that stole it when we were around. We don't have any guest in this few days. I think it must be the repairman that came yesterday. What do you think, Benni?" said Mrs Höwedes to her son.

 

"It might be." Benni couldn't believe what has just happened, but he just plays along with his mom's statement.

 

"My goodness. I didn't think that he would be stealing. He doesn't look like someone who steals. You know what? I'm not going to use his service anymore!" Mrs Höwedes continued. She picks up her phone and deletes the repairman's phone number from her phone. She has no proof to accuse the repairman of stealing, so the only way to deal with it is by not continuing the service of the repairman. Benni lets out a huge relief after his mom left. His body slides down until his butt reaches the floor. He just got off the hook by the skin of his teeth. At least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Nichts - "nothing" in German
> 
> 50 kudos! Thank you! :D
> 
> Yes, yes, I've changed the blogger name to Hermione148.
> 
> This is supposed to be on the same chapter with My dirty little secret. But I wanted to end the last chapter with a cliffhanger. So it became two chapters.
> 
> I saw a lot of fics that portray Thomas as an oblivious person. But I would like to change that. Thomas has street smarts, which is why he is a Raumdeuter. But he's still very clumsy. Hehe... and since he's close to Kira so it make sense that he found out first :D
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Let's have a party!


	14. Flowers, Kisses and the Cool Kids Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cool kids party
> 
> Thomas buys flowers for the first time
> 
> Mario gets drunk
> 
> Philipp became a hero
> 
> Unexpected kiss(es)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Underage driving, drinking and partying. I do not encourage any of these behaviours.

It's been a while since Philipp has heard the piano sound from the school's piano room. Today he is pretty lucky, as he heard the piano sound once again. The song is Flight of the bumble bee, and it sounds angry. Philipp wonders why it sounds angry, but the captain figured that he could not miss this chance again, so this time he sprints to the piano room. But he is stopped by Thomas once again.

 

"Fips! Fips! I need your help!" said the 9th grader.

 

"Thomas, stop asking me about horses!" the annoyed captain replied while trying to get pass Thomas but the taller boy stops him.

 

"No, Fips! It's not about horses. It's about girls." Thomas explained.

 

"Oh." Philipp calms down after hearing that. "What is it?"

 

"What flowers do girls like?" asked Thomas.

 

"Well, this is a subjective question. It depends on the girl herself. Different girls love different flowers. But red roses are the safest bet." his captain answered.

 

"Thanks, Fips!" Thomas thanked Philipp and sprints away. 

 

Philipp is happy to help his friend, he then continues to run towards the piano room. The piano is still playing, and that is a good sign. But Philipp is interrupted again by a voice.

 

"Fips!"

 

"What is it again?" Philipp muttered and he turns around. It is Per.

 

"Why are you so angry, Philipp? I just want to tell you that the coach wants to see you now." said Per.

 

"Now?" Philipp asked. He is hoping that he could delay his meeting with the coach.

 

"Yup. Immediately." Per responded. Philipp looks back and sighs. He then follows the taller guy to see their coach. Once again he is yet to find out the identity of mysterious pianist.

 

***

 

"Mom, let's get a horse!" said Kira. She tugs her mom's arm, begging and dug her head into her mom's arm. She promised Thomas to get him a horse. Since she can't afford one herself, she just have to persuade her mom to get one. In all cost.

 

"What? A horse?" her mom asked.

 

"Yeah, yeah, a horse. Don't they look cute?" Kira replied. She shows some pictures of ponies to her mother, hoping that her mom would like them.

 

"Kira, you already have Merlin. And besides, we don't have room for a horse." her mom replied.

 

"We could put it in the garage. Mom, think about it. Horses are environmental friendly. You don't need to fill gas because it eats grass. And you don't have to mow the lawn anymore. Isn't that awesome?" said Kira.

 

"Kira, you're not getting a horse and that's final!" mom replied after listening to her daughter's nonsense. A minute later, Mario came into the kitchen to look for his mom.

 

"Mom, can I go to Sarah's party this weekend?" he asked. He twinkles his big brown eyes at his mom, hoping that his mom would let him go.

 

Mrs Götze thinks for a while, hesitating whether she should let her son to the party. But since Sarah is one of their schoolmates, she thinks the party would be a decent one. She then replies "Okay, you can go. But I need you to be back at 10pm."

 

"What? But mom, that's too early! The party just started!" Mario tries to haggle with his mom.

 

"Well, either you come back at 10 or you're not going. And that applies to your sister too." Mrs Götze says firmly.

 

"Mom, she's not invited to the party." Mario whispers to his mom.

 

"Erm... I'm not interested in that stupid party. People get drunk, have fights and girls will get pregnant there." said Kira as she walks away. She pretends to be cool about it, but in reality she wants to go to the party too. Who wouldn't? They are in their teen years and everyone just wants to fit in. Mario has asked her to join but because she wasn't invited by Sarah herself, the 9th grader just couldn't get over her big fat ego and rejected Mario's invitation.

 

"You watched too many American shows." Mario shouted.

 

"Why isn't she's invited?" Ms Götze asked her son.

 

***

 

"These beautiful flowers are for you, my dear." 

 

Thomas just shows up at the Götze house on a Saturday morning with a bouquet of fresh red roses to Kira. It is a beautiful bouquet. It even have little bits of lavender in it. Kira is stunned and literary speechless. She can't keep her eyes off the beautiful bouquet of roses. It is the first time that she receives flowers from a boy. And she didn't expect this one to come. Definitely not expecting one from Thomas. They are always great friends but dating never cross Kira's mind. It's a great feeling to receive flowers. Girls love pretty things and the flowers are pretty. The only problem is, it comes from Thomas, not Marco. She would like to receive the flowers, but then it would send a wrong message to Thomas. Why aren't the flowers come from Marco? Why life couldn't be perfect just for one time?

 

"Dang! It knew it wouldn't work!" the boy yelled.

 

"Huh?" the confused Kira responded. "What the hell is happening?"

 

"You don't like the flowers, do you? I knew it wouldn't work. If you didn't like it, then Lisa wouldn't like it." Thomas explained. 

 

"Oh, the flowers are for Lisa?" asked Kira. She is realising the actual situation now. Part of her felt relief after hearing that from Thomas. But there is a tiny part of her is sad that the flowers don't belong to her.

 

"Yes, of course. Who do you think it's for?" the oblivious Thomas asked. Thomas is oblivious when it comes to love. He didn't reliased that the flowers would send a wrong message to Kira.

 

"No, no... Erm... I mean... the flowers are lovely. I'm sure Lisa would love it too!" said Kira, who is trying to put on a smile.  

  

"Really? Thanks, Kiki! Bye!" Thomas answered with a smile and wink before he sprints off. Kira looks as the beautiful bouquet of flowers slowly fades away from her sight. She lets out a huge sigh. Will she ever receive flowers for real?

 

***

 

"Lisa, these are for you."

 

Thomas presents the bouquet of red roses to Lisa that evening at Lisa's barn. Lisa raises her eyebrow. She couldn't believe what she is seeing. Thomas Müller is giving her a bouquet of flowers. Thomas and flowers don't go in the same sentence. _Thomas? Flowers? Thomas Müller buying flowers for me? These's only one explanation to this. This MUST be a prank._ Today isn't April Fool. But with Thomas, every day could be April Fool. The brown hair girl doesn't have any explanation to this other than a prank. 

 

"I'm sorry. I don't like roses." Lisa said. She walks away from Thomas, trying to avoid him. Hopefully this excuse would send Thomas away.

 

"What kind of flower do you like? Orchid? Tulip? Camellia? Iris? Lily? Daisy? Lilac?" asked Thomas as he keep on following Lisa. Lisa stopped walking and turn her head to Thomas. She takes a deep breath and starts to talk.

 

"I'm sorry. I just don't like flowers." Lisa replied. She hopes that this answer would stop Thomas from following her. But she was wrong. Thomas continues to follow her.

 

"Then what do you like? Chocolate? Teddy bear? Handbag? Music box?" Thomas doesn't give up. Lisa tries to walk away from Thomas and the young boy kept following Lisa, until he trips on the water hose. He fell down on all four limbs, and the flowers are squashed when it hit the floor. Oh no. Lisa turns around when she heard a noise. She is shocked to see Thomas fall down. She felt bad for the boy. She quickly comes over to check if Thomas is alright.

 

"Oh no! The flowers!" Thomas shouted. He picks up the flowers, trying to put them back together, but the petals already fall out from the flowers. It couldn't be fixed.

 

"Don't bother about the flowers. Are you okay, Thomas?" Lisa asked as she checks Thomas' condition.

 

"Yeah. I'm fine." Thomas replied as he stares at the gorgeous girl, smiling.

 

***

 

Mats and Benni are hanging out at a park tonight. Mats is hugging Benni from behind and wraps his arms around the blond boy's waist. They didn't bother to attend the cool kids party. Both of them just want to spend some quality time alone with each other. There is a stunning night view at the park. The boys are enjoying the shining city lights of Munich, with a mild wind blowing their hairs. Both of their hairs are messy, but they don't care. Benni looks upon the sky and smiles, because the sky is full of shining rocks.

 

"The sky is beautiful, isn't it?" said Benni to Mats.

 

"The sky may be beautiful. But nothing is more beautiful compared to you." Mats replied. Benni blushes as he heard Mats' beautiful words. Mats continues "How did you get out from your house?"

 

"I told mom that we're having a team building activity at Bastian's house." Benni answered.

 

"Oh, you're good at lying now?" Mats teases Benni.

 

"Well, I did it because of you. You know that." Benni shot back.

 

"I know, I know. Thanks, dear." Mats laughs at Benni. He dunks his head to Benni's right shoulder and snuggles the blond boy tighter.

 

"Look, a shooting star!" Benni shouted as he saw a shooting star. He quickly closes his eyes and clasps his hands to pray. He is praying that Mats will love him forever and ever. Mats just watches Benni pray from the side, with his arms still wrap on Benni's waist. He doesn't believes in these things. But Benni does look awfully cute when he prays. The dark hair boy pecks on Benni's right cheek. Benni is shocked. The blond boy opens his eyes wide, and turns his head to the right side.

 

"Mats Julian Hummels, how dare you!" he said.

 

"There will be more of this. Deal with it." Mats smirks and kisses Benni's nose before running away. Benni chases Mats around the park, tries to kiss Mats, but Mats playfully prevents Benni from kissing him by hiding himself. Mats sticks out his tongue and teases Benni that the boy will never able to kiss him. Benni continues to chase Mats, and suddenly he trips to a rock and falls down in all four limbs. 

 

"Ouch!"

 

"Benni!" Mats screamed as he saw Benni fell down. He is concerned about his boyfriend. The dark hair boy runs towards Benni and inspects the later's knee. "Benni, are you alright?"

 

At this moment, Benni plants a kiss Mats on the cheek. He giggles at Mats after kissing the boy. "Heehee... gotcha!" 

 

"Hey, that's not fair! You cheated." said Mats.

 

"You didn't set the rules beforehand." Benni answered with a smile.

 

***

 

"What??!!" Mario and André both exclaimed. They couldn't believe what is happening right now. Both boys are looking at a four-seat silver Lamborghini that is parked at the front of Marco's house. Marco is sitting at the drivers seat. He signals the boys and says

 

"Hop on!" 

 

"What? You can drive? Shut up!" said Mario. 

 

"Yeah." Marco answered. Obviously a 13 year old boy doesn't have a car licence. But this isn't the first time that Marco drives a car. The boy has been secretly driving his father's cars in his free time. Mario and André are dumbfounded to found out that their friend can drive a car. The boys get into the car and together they went off to Sarah's house. They are excited for their first ever cool kids party. They never attended these type of parties before and didn't know what to expect. It's the night of Sarah's party. Popular kids like Sarah likes to host parties once in a while. But only the popular kids are invited to those parties. Footballers, basketball players, cheerleaders, etc are among those popular kids. People like Kira and Lisa are not invited to these parties because they aren't popular. Sarah's house is like a mansion. It has a Olympic size swimming pool, and a living room that could easily fit 50 people. Unlike birthday parties, this party seems much more cooler because there isn't any grown-ups, and there are alcohol served in the party. The house is crowded with people, with most of them are strangers. Some of them looked like college students, and some of them looked other than that. The stereo is blasting Cobra Starship's Good Girls Go Bad. 

 

"This is so cool!" said Mario. He starts to dance to the music as soon as he arrives with Marco and André. André part ways with them and starts to look for Montana. Marco took 2 cups of alcoholic drink from the counter. He gives one to Mario. Marco took a sip from his cup while Mario looks at the cup.

 

"Is this alcohol? I never drink alcohol before." said Mario.

 

"What? You never had alcohol before?" the surprised Marco asked. He laughs at the younger boy. Contrary to Mario, Marco has plenty of chances to drink. He always steals liquor from his father's wine cellar.

 

"Mom never lets me drink alcohol." said Mario. The boys have not reach the legal age of drinking yet. So it's natural that Mario's mom doesn't let his son drink.

 

"Well, mom isn't here, right?" said Marco. Both boys are smirking and their eyebrows are raised. Maybe they can afford to be a little naughty tonight. Mario drinks his first cup of alcoholic drink. The young boy took a sip but has no idea what it is. It wasn't the nicest drink he ever tasted. It just felt weird. It's bitter yet sweet at the same time. He sticks his tongue out. As he drink another sip and it felt horrible, it is like cough medicine. Bleh. Marco encourages him to finish the drink. Mario then gulps the whole cup of drink without thinking. The young boy felt like a grown up after finish drinking his first cup, and now he's asking for more. He took a few more cups and drinks every cup in one shot. He became tipsy after drinking a few cups.

 

Lukas and Monika are also at the pool side. Lukas kept looking at Bastian, who is cuddling Sarah and laughing with a bunch of people. He felt very uncomfortable looking at them. Monika looks at Lukas, and she's worrying about him.

 

"We could go home if you want to." said Monika.

 

"No, no, it's okay." Lukas replied her with a fake smile. Monika sighs.

 

Meanwhile, Philipp is in the living room, and so are Per and the other Die Mannschaft boys. Some of the boys mingle with the girls in the same room. Mesut puts on a pair of sunglasses, hoping that it looks cool on himself.

 

"Stop it, Mesut! You look stupid." said Jérôme.

 

"You're just jealous that I look cooler than you." Mesut replied as he sticks out his tongue to Jérôme.

 

"Captain, you're here!" Per exclaimed. He's happy to see Philipp.

 

"I'm just here because I've lost a basketball match to Basti. By the way, where's Thomas? He's supposed to be here too!" Philipp replies as he searches for Thomas. But Thomas is nowhere to be found.

 

"Hey, isn't that the exchange student?" asked Holger as he points his finger.

 

"Damn. That girl could dance!" said Toni.

 

Philipp turns around and he sees Mini Mini dancing around with strangers with a cute little tank top and mini skirt. She looks half drunk too. The captain turns to his teammates and asks

 

"Why is she here?"

 

"What?" Jérôme shouted. He couldn't hear the captain's words from the loud beats of the music.

 

"I said why is she here?" Philipp shouted, repeating his sentence for the boys to hear.

 

"Weren't you the one who invited her?" Jérôme shouted back.

 

"No, why would I? Besides, I didn't want to come here in the first place." Philipp replies. The captain doesn't like to attend these type of parties. It's always too crowded with strangers and the music is always too loud. And the food is always shitty. Philipp thought it is nice that for once Mini Mini didn't annoy him, until he saw some random strangers touching the girl inappropriately, and decides to put a stop to it.

 

"Mini Mini!" said Philipp as he signals the girl to come.

 

Mini Mini looks at Philipp, and she recognises him. So the girl replies "No!"

 

"Mini Mini, please come with me." the captain calls her.But the girl didn't move a muscle. _This isn't good. Oh no. Not now. Please don't play games with me now. Please, listen to me for once._

 

"No!" Mini Mini replied. "You said I'm stupid."

 

"No, I didn't. Come here!" he grabs the girl's hand. _Please listen to me for once. You stupid girl, I beg you._ Mini Mini pulls her hand away from Philipp.

 

"Didn't you hear that? The girl's not following you. Buzz off, you squirt." said a tall man. 

 

Philipp is not going to give up. He's not going to let those horny men molest the girl. He has to do whatever it takes to save Mini Mini from those men. Philipp comes forward and the man punches him, and the captain fell and knocks the chairs. The man, along with his buddies continues to beat Philipp. The fight alerts the other people in the same room.

 

"Shit!" Per muttered and decides to help Philipp out. Toni, Jérôme, Holger and the rest of the boys also came forward to help their captain. Bastian and Sarah came in the room and saw what happen. Sarah threatens to call the police if the men don't stop. At last, the strangers choose to leave the house.

 

"Captain, I know you're brave. But can you find someone your own size next time? Those boys were twice your size." said Per as he pants hard after the fight.

 

At the pool side, Mario is drunk from drinking cocktails. Marco has lost count the number of drinks that his little friend had. The young boy has been disturbing the other guests from the same area for the past 30 minutes. Marco had to stop the Mario from causing more trouble. But it wasn't easy. He spent half of the time apologizing to the guests. And as he was apologizing to the first guest, Mario has caused another trouble to another guest. André came by to the boys.

 

"Hey, have you guys seen Montana?" asked André to Marco. André has been looking for Montana for the half an hour but he failed to find her. Montana did mention to him that she'll attend the party. She must be here. But he just couldn't find her.

 

"Hey Schü, you should try this!" said the drunk Mario, passing a cup of mixed alcohol drink to André. His hand is wobbly when he hands the drink. Parts of the drinks spills out from the cup, some parts of the drink spilled to André's shirt. André isn't pleased with Mario.

 

"No, I don't want it." André replied, pushing the drink back to Mario. "Marco, text me if you see her later."

 

"Okay." Marco replied. Just right after he answered André, he saw Marco gulping another shot of mixed alcohol drink.

 

"Mario, I don't think you should drink anymore!" said Marco as he snatches the cup from Mario.

 

"No! I want to!" said Mario as he snatches back his cup. The drink has already spill out. Mario tries to drink from an empty cup. He kept on shaking the cup to get something out of the empty cup. The young boy then tries to get himself a new cup, but Marco stops him. He grabs Mario's arm and pulls Mario towards himself. Mario felt a force pulling him so he turns around but lost his balance, and then fell on to Marco. He accidentally kisses the taller boy on his lips. Marco is stunned. He froze on the same spot until Mario moves away. Marco's face has turned into a red cherry tomato.

 

"That was fun. Let's do it again." said the drunk Mario with a smile.

 

"Mario, I don't think we should. Well, at least not here." Marco replied with a whisper. He looks at his surroundings to see if there's any familiar faces that caught them kissing. It seems like none. He lets out a huge relief.

 

After looking around the house several times, André finally found Montana in a guest room. She is with her boyfriend and a couple of other guys. André sees Scott hands a drink to Montana. The guys have weird looking smirks on their faces and they kept on persuading Montana to drink from that cup. It looks fishy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was written halfway before I took a little break and write Life starts at 6 pm. It's been in the draft since forever. And now I want to get rid of this from the draft. Part of the reason for this short hiatus is because I felt like I'm writing nowhere good, and I'm overwhelmed by the ideas and characters. It was supposed to be ready on Sunday but I'm kind of got distracted with Masterchef Australia, and I'm down with the flu since Saturday, hence the late update. *stop your lame excuses, Kiki* Sorry for that. I received some messages from readers that they miss this fiction. Thank you so much. I hope this doesn't disappoint you. 
> 
> I have no idea how to name the title of this chapter. It was "the cool kids party" but I've added some stuff here so I had to change the title.
> 
> This one is an additional chapter. It was slot in the middle of the story since I've mentioned Sarah's party. It was only a lame excuse for me to get Montana talk to André. But since I've mentioned the party, I figured that some of the storylines could fit in this party, so here you go!
> 
> Showing the wild side of Marco. Reference of Marco driving without a licence.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- to save a girl


	15. The Night That Changes Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> André and the gang tries to save Montana
> 
> Lisa has changed her views of Thomas
> 
> A car accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Underage driving. Please drive with a license!

Lisa carefully cleans the wounds on Thomas' knees with some water, gently dabs some ointment on them and finishes by covering the wounds with bandages. She ties a delicate knot at the end of the bandage. Thankfully the wound wasn't deep and it will be healed in a week or so. In normal circumstances Thomas would be screaming until you can hear from 3 houses away. But Thomas didn't felt any pain during the process. He was staring at the beautiful girl the whole time. This beautiful and kind girl in front of him that tended his wound. His mouth opens wide, didn't realised he looked stupid in front of the girl. As soon as Lisa finished tending Thomas' wound, she notices Thomas is staring at her. She looks around and confused, so she asks

 

"Is there anything on my face?"

 

"No, no, no... It's just... I didn't realised you're that pretty." said Thomas after waking up from daydreaming. Both Lisa and Thomas' face turn pink.

 

"Thank you." Lisa replied with a shy voice.

 

Suddenly, Thomas' phone rings. It was his uncle calling him. Thomas wasn't supposed to go out tonight. He sneaked out from his house just to see Lisa. And now his uncle is looking for him. He picks up the phone and answer.

 

"Yes, yes, I'll be back soon."

 

***

 

It's 10 pm. Kira is standing at the front of Sarah's house with her trusty canine Merlin. Her mom has asked the 9th grader to fetch the boys since she is walking the dog. But Mario hasn't come out from the house yet. Kira calls her brother's phone several times, but Mario isn't picking up. The music was too loud for the boys, they didn't realise the phone ring. Mario is too drunk to notice his phone vibrates anyway. There were several drunk strangers coming out from the house, and it makes Kira uncomfortable. At this point, she is worried about the boys. Since Mario isn't picking up his phone, she decides to call Marco. Marco feels his phone vibrates, so he picks up the phone and says

 

"Hello?"

 

"Marco, where are you guys?" asked Kira.

 

"What? I can't hear you, Kira!" Marco replied.

 

"I said where are you guys?" Kira yelled at the phone, hoping Marco could hear her this time. But before Marco could answer, Mario snatches his phone and yells "Shut up, fat pig!" and he laughs frantically. Not in a million years Mario would say such a thing to a stranger, let alone his sister. But when you're drunk, you will say crazy things without realising it. Kira is utterly shocked by Mario's words. _Did Mario just called me a fat pig? How dare you?_

 

"Mario, get out of the house right now or I'll kick your butt! " Kira shouted at Mario through the phone. Marco gets back his phone and yells back

 

"Sorry Kira, we'll be there in a minute!"

 

Kira bites her lower lip as she felt bad that she yelled to Marco instead of Mario. But it's too late to do anything now. At the pool side, Marco grabs the drunk Mario and looks around the room to find André. Thankfully André came to them first. 

 

"Marco, we have to leave here now!" said André to Marco. "Montana is in trouble!"

 

Marco nods and the both boys carries the drunk Mario out of the house. André saw Scott hand a drink to Montana and the girl passes out after drinking that drink. He also overheard those older boys talking about taking Montana to a hotel. He had to save the girl. But he can't do it by himself at the guest room so he hope that his friends Marco and Mario are able to backup him. As the boys come out from the house, Kira spots them and she runs over to them.

 

"Mario, have you been drinking?!" asked Kira. 

 

"You look funny. Hahaha..." said Mario. He sees a few blurry vision of Kira. 

 

"You look stupid." Kira replied.

 

"Quick, get in the car!" said André as he pushes Kira into the car while Marco places Mario at another seat and buckles the seat belt. Merlin jumps into the car. Kira is still clueless about the current situation. She is sitting in a luxury car. What the hell is happening? Marco is in the driver's seat and André is sitting beside him. 

 

"Seat belts!" Marco shouted. Kira and André put on their seat belts.

 

"Are we going to Disneyland?" Mario asked.

 

"Mario, put back your seat belts!" Kira snapped. She buckles Mario's seat belt and turns to the other boys. "What the hell is going on?"

 

"We're going to save Montana. Her boyfriend and some guys have taken her to Hungover Hotel." André answered.

 

Marco turns on the GPS and starts the engine. The car sprints as soon as Marco steps on the foot pedal. Kira starts to panic. 

 

"Marco! What are you doing? You don't have a license!" Kira squealed. But Marco ignored her. As soon as the car reaches the corner, Marco takes a sharp turn by turning the steering wheel to the right, and the car drifts, causing everyone in the car plop to the left.

 

"Faster! Faster!" Mario shouted.

 

"No, no, no! You're going to get us all killed. I don't want to die young!" said Kira. 

 

"Don't worry, we'll bury you in satin.[1]" Mario replied. Kira stares at her brother.

 

"Mario, that's not funny!" Kira snapped. 

 

"Faster, Marco!" said André.

 

"Stop encouraging him, André!" Kira shouted. "Am I the only sane person in this car?"

 

"Shut up, Kira!" said Mario. Kira glares at her brother. She isn't pleased with her brother's drunk behaviour.

 

They reached the hotel after a few minutes of driving. Marco, André, Kira and Merlin gets off the car. Marco helps the drunk Mario get out from the car. The kids head to the reception to ask for the room number. The receptionist refuses to give them the number, as it is against the guest's privacy. André begs the receptionist a few times, but the later still refuses to tell them. 

 

"Then you left me with only one choice." said Kira as she grabs the receptionist's arm and twist it to his back, and then pins him to the wall. Her eyes glare to the man and says "Room number!" 

 

"215." the receptionist finally replied. Kira lets go the receptionist and the teenagers run towards room 215. The door is obviously locked. André is going to break the door, but he is stopped by Kira. 

 

"Wait! You can't just barge in like this. The door is too solid. It will alert them and they will secure the door." Kira whispered to André.

 

"Then how am I going to get in?" asked André.

 

Inside the room 215, Scott and his friends placed Montana on the bed. Scott caresses his girlfriend's face. Montana begins to have a little conscious. She opens her eyes and she sees her boyfriend. But she has no idea what is happening.

 

"What happened?" she asked.

 

"It's okay, honey. We are going to play a little game." Scott answered. "It's going to hurt a little."

 

*knock knock*

 

"Room service!" Kira pretends to be a staff by imitating with a deep voice.

 

"Sorry, we didn't order anything." Scott replied.

 

*knock knock*

 

"Room service!" Kira called again.

 

"I said I didn't order anything!" said the annoyed Scott as he opens the door. Kira, André and Marco use the opportunity to barge into the room. 

 

"Montana!" André called her name.

 

"You again!" said Scott. "And you brought some pesky friends with you this time."

 

"Hand over the girl!" Kira demanded. But of course, Scott wouldn't hand over Montana to them. He cracks his knuckles and went on to punch André, but Kira manages to stop him by pushing away the 12th grader's hand. The 12th grader then sends another punch but this time towards Kira. Kira dodges the punch nicely and then she kicks Scott's groin with her right leg. On the other hand, Marco is fighting one of Scott's friends while Merlin bites the other guy.  

 

"André, take Montana out!" Kira shouted while fighting with Scott. André nods and he carries Montana from the bed, then quickly exits the room. One of the guys pulls out a knife and slashes Marco's arm. Marco screams.

 

"OUCH!!!"

 

"Marco!" Kira shouted as soon as she heard Marco's scream. She turns her head to Marco's direction. The 9th grader loses her focus on her own fight and it gave Scott the opportunity to strangle her neck with his arm. Kira can hardly breathe but thankfully Merlin came to the rescue. The German Shepherd jumps and bites Scott's arm, forcing him to release Kira.

 

"Don't hurt my Marco!" Mario shouted and he bites the 12th grade student that slashes Marco's arm. The older guy wants to stab Mario but Marco stops him by clenching the older guy's hand. But being handicapped by one hand he's unable to hold on for long. This moment, Kira came and snatches the knife, she demands Scott and his friends to leave. The older boys left the hotel room after being defeated by Kira and her gang. Kira and Marco catch their breaths after that fight with the 12th graders. Kira checks Marco's wound after Scott and his friends left. It was a deep cut. She tears the bed sheet and wraps Marco's wound with the cloth. 

 

"We need to go to the hospital!" said Kira. But now that Marco is injured, he is unable to drive. Kira wanted to call the ambulance, but Marco wanted to drive the car. 

 

"But you can't drive!" Kira replied.

 

"I can't, but you can! We can't leave the car here." the blond boy said. With Mario drunk and Marco handicapped, Kira is the only possible option but she never drives a real car before. 

 

"Me? But I never drive before!" said Kira. She had some "driving experience" from go karts, bumper cars and playing Need For Speed, but driving a real car on the road is totally a different story. A mistake may cost your life. She knows it is a bad idea to drive, but Marco kept on persuading her. And she finally agrees to it. Marco sits beside the 9th grader and guides her. She puts on the seat belt, adjusts the mirror, turns on the lights, turns on the engine, and looks at her surroundings before starting to drive. The Lamborghini is an automatic car, so they wouldn't need to worry about changing gears and pressing clutches. Kira drives the car slowly, and everything seems to go well until a cat comes out to the road. Kira and Marco scream and Kira quickly turns the steering wheel to the right, making the car crash to a postbox. The emergency lights starts to blink. The crash wasn't really bad, due to the slow speed of the car. The kids are physically unhurt but the car isn't looking good. Both Marco and Kira catch their breath from their nearly death experience. After Marco's heartbeat went down to a normal speed, he looks at Kira, who plants her forehead on the steering wheel. Her hands are shivering, clearly not recovered from the car crash. Marco gently nudge her, calling her name. Kira turns her head to Marco, and hugs him tightly. Tears start to flow from her eyes to her cheek. Marco strokes her back and try to comfort her. He regrets for asking Kira to drive and kept apologizing to her. The 7th grader then glances to Mario, the little boy is still sleeping soundly at the back seat. 

 

Kira's phone begin to ring, and she picks up the phone. It is from her mom.

 

"Mom?" she answered. Her hands are shaking when she's holding the phone.

 

"Kira? Where are you kids? You all should have been at home since half an hour ago!" said Mrs Götze.

 

"Mom, I... I..." Kira stuttered. She is unable to speak in a full sentence or think straight at the moment. Marco signals her to pass him the phone. Kira passes the phone to Marco and the boy confesses everything to Mrs Götze, because quite frankly the teenagers have no choice left. Few minutes later, Mrs Götze arrives and picks up the kids to the hospital. She also calls a car toll for the Lamborghini. She spends the whole time nagging the teenagers about their behaviour, but none of them absorb her lectures. Marco's wound is finally treated by the doctors. And although Mario and Kira look unhurt, Mrs Götze still sends them for a check-up, just in case. After checking up at the hospital, she sends the kids back home. All three teenagers had a long night, as they have slept soundly in Mrs Götze's car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I don't want to die young! & Don't worry, we'll bury you in satin - I took this reference from the song If I Die Young. It's one of Kira's favourite songs.
> 
> It's just very irony. I came back from a car accident just days after plotting this accident plot. But I'm safe now, just have a little chest pain. However, my car suffers a lot and I have to survive a month without a car which sucks because public transport here is horrible -.- The reason I'm telling you this is not because of getting sympathy from anyone. I just want to give some awareness about car accidents. You can lose your life if you don't drive safely. Please drive safe with a license. Always put on your seat belts. Don't drink and drive. Don't use your handphone while driving.
> 
> Anyway, I didn't realised that my readers are very young until I get to know them recently. I've added some warning tags. I hope my readers won't copy any bad behaviour from the fiction. And I hope this fiction is able to teach some moral lessons instead. See ya'll next chapter?
> 
>  
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- I love you, Marco Reus


	16. All I Ever Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone confesses love to Marco

Mats is extremely tired. He didn't really get to sleep at the first few hours in bed. He is sharing a single bed with Benni. It was an ad hoc decision to stay at Mats' house as Benni lied to his mom about have a sleepover at Bastian's house. Mats' initial plan was to give the whole bed to Benni because Benni is a guest after all. But Benni kept on insisting him to sleep on his own bed. At last, they came to an agreement to share the bed. But although they are sharing a tiny bed, Mats makes sure to provide Benni as much space as possible, so his boyfriend is able to sleep comfortably. But it resulted in the dark hair boy himself not getting any sleep until around 5 am, he finally slept because he was too tired.

 

Mats turns his body around and wanted to hug Benni, but there is nothing for him to cuddle. Feeling clueless, he opens his eyes and Benni isn't there. The sun already rises and his room is unusually clean and neat. What happened? Did someone just perform magic? He looks at the time, and it is already 9 am. Then, Mats heard sounds of laughter. It came from the kitchen. Feeling curious, Mats walks over to the kitchen and sees his mom enjoying breakfast with Benni. His mom is smiling. Mats couldn't remember the last time he sees his mom smiling. He's glad that she is now. And Benni is interacting nicely with his mom too. The two most important people in his house having fun. Oh wow, this must be heaven. If only every day is like this, it would be the perfect life for Mats.

 

"Mats, come join us." said Mrs Hummels as she saw Mats standing at the corner. Mats joins in, sitting opposite Benni. The blond hair teenager is having bacon, eggs, and toast prepared by Mrs Hummels. He pours a glass of fresh milk for Mats. The boy smiles to Mats.

 

"Guten morgen, Mats!"

 

***

 

It's a sunny Sunday morning, and it's a nice day to make bread. Like most days, Philipp prepares his own breakfast. Today he is baking red bean and walnut buns. It smells fresh and homey. The captain is satisfied with his result. As he takes out the buns from the oven, the doorbell rings and Philipp opens the door.

 

"Please accept my gift, Philipp."

 

That person is Mini Mini. She hands Philipp a box wrapped in a nice piece of cloth. Philipp was pleasantly surprised. He didn't expect this coming. She looks different today. She didn't call him Philipp san anymore, and she dresses normally today. 

 

"Erm... it's not necessary." Philipp replied in a courteous way. But since the girl has already at his doorstep, he invited her to the house.

 

"Bastian told me that you saved me from the bad guys yesterday." Mini Mini said as she comes into the house. She notices a bruise on Philipp's head. "Philipp, you're hurt!"

 

"Erm... yeah, it was nothing." said Philipp as he tries to brush off that incident. So he changes the topic. "Would you like to have some red bean buns?"

 

"I'm not hungry." she answered. Her tummy growls as she looks at the mouth-watering buns. 

 

"Your tummy is saying otherwise." said Philipp as he smiles. He hands Mini Mini a piece of bun and she shares the little lunchbox of sushi rolls with Philipp.

 

***

 

André woke up with a smile on his face. He still remembered the kiss that Montana gave him after he saved the girl from danger. He is still smiling on his bed and the boy is probably not going to shower the whole day. He feels so bubbly so he texts his best friends Mario and Marco in their group chat "Three Monkeys". But only Marco that replies him.

 

_Schü: Hey bro, how are you?_

_woodyinho: Still alive. You?_

_Schü: Well, she kissed me last night._

_woodyinho: What??!! We nearly died and you got a kiss???_

_woodyinho: Life is so unfair! >:(_

_Schü: WHAT??!!_

_woodyinho: You won't believe what happened after you left. It's like those drama shows._

_Schü: Really?? What happened? :O_

_woodyinho: I nearly lost an arm :(_

_woodyinho: they tried to stab Sunny_

_woodyinho: and then we nearly died in a car accident D=_

_Schü: Oh no! ='(_

_Schü: By the way, where's your Sunny?_

_woodyinho: I think he's probably still in Disneyland ='D_

 

***

 

It is noon, Kira is making chicken soup for Marco. She wanted to make something for the poor boy as he is currently injured. After all, a chicken soup is always good for the soul. Kira and her brother are currently grounded for underage driving and drinking. They are not allowed to go anywhere by themselves. Her mom only allows them to visit Marco under her supervision. So she has to wait for her mom to drive them over to Marco's place.  

 

"Woof! Woof!" Merlin alerted her. The German Shepherd has just come back from the grocery store with some carrots and celery, which are the missing ingredients from her soup. She picks them up from the bag, washes thoroughly and cuts them into cubes before putting it into the pot. She looks at the pot smiling. 

 

Mario feels the ray of sunshine piercing his eyes, but he is still reluctant to get up. The 7th grader is not recovered from last night's hangover. He rolls his body to the right and falls down to the floor. The young boy gets up, feeling grumpy. He looks at the mirror and tries to fix his hair, but unable to shape it the way he wants. Feeling frustrated, he gives up. Today is really a bad hair day. He walks down to the stairs and smells a nice comforting aroma. It's from the kitchen. Mario walks into the kitchen and he sees his sister.

 

"Morgen, Kira." said Mario.

 

"Morgen? It's abend, Mario." Kira corrected him.

 

"Abend?!" Mario looks at the clock, and it is already 1.15pm. He was rather shocked that he woke up that late. His stomach is growling, and the chicken soup in front of him looks tasty. The boy raises his hand to reach the ladle. 

 

"Hands off. It's for Marco." said Kira as he smacks Mario's hand.

 

"Marco?" asked Mario.

 

"Yup. The boy has done so much for you. We need to do something for him." said Kira. She hands a cup of ginseng tea to her brother. "This is for you. I got it from Mini Mini. It's ginseng tea. I heard it can cure hangover too."

 

Mario took a sip and sticks his tongue out. He didn't like the taste. Then he asks his sister "What happened last night?"

 

"Well, a lot. You were nearly stabbed by a knife if not for him." said Kira as she carefully stirs the chicken soup with a ladle. "Marco did suffer a slash on his right arm. We also nearly died in a car accident."

 

"WHAT?!" Mario exclaimed. He is freaking out after hearing Kira's words.

 

"Yeah. We thought we're going to die. It made me appreciate the things in life. You know, life is short and you'll never know if tomorrow will ever come..." she continues to babble.

 

"Kira, I need to go out." said Mario as he puts down the cup.

 

"Huh? Mario, wait! Mario! We're grounded!!!" Kira turned her head and called Mario, but her little brother didn't listen. Mario quickly sprints to the door, and put on his shoes. He hops for a few times before getting his foot into the shoe, and nearly falls down in the process. He then picks up his phone from his pocket and calls Marco.

 

"Marco? Where are you now?" he said.

 

"At home. Why?" asked Marco.

 

"Can you come out to the park now?" asked Mario.

 

"Now?" Marco replied.

 

"Yes. Now!" said Mario.

 

Marco did as he told. He quickly informs his caretaker that he's going out before he dashes to the park.  He could sense by the tone that Mario is trying to tell him something very important. He is curious to know. So he runs as fast as he could to the park. Probably the fastest in his life. Marco was the first of the two to reach the park as his house is the nearer one. He catches his own breath as soon as he reaches. He wonders what his best friend wants to tell him. Is it good news or bad? Please be a good news.

 

As Mario is running, he is thinking about Marco. Flashbacks of Marco and himself keep on coming to his mind. Flashbacks of how they first met, playing football together, pulling pranks on André, getting into the first team, planning Kira's birthday, watching a football match together, copying homework, playing FIFA games, throwing snowballs at each other, making stupid selfies... Marco is a big part of his life and he realised that he couldn't live without this boy.

 

Mario reaches the park not long after Marco. He pants really hard, bending down, hands touching the knees for support. He ran all the way from his house to the park. The little boy looks like a mess. His hair looks like a birds nest. His alcohol stained shirt is wrinkled, not tucked in, with buttons buttoned wrongly. In normal circumstances, Mario would never go out without fully groom himself. But today he couldn't waste another second to tell Marco something. Mario gets up and his eyes met with Marco. Marco couldn't help laughing at the little boy in front of him. It's the first time he sees Mario in this form. And he thinks it's cute. Mario looks at himself from his chest to feet, before turning his head to Marco, he says sheepishly

 

"I look stupid, right?"

 

"Ein bisschen." Marco replied.

 

Mario takes a deep breath and starts to talk. 

 

"I always knew what I wanted, but I never say it out loud. But something happens yesterday. Maybe it's a sign. Maybe god is hinting me something. Kira told me that you saved my life yesterday and we nearly died.  I don't know what will happen tomorrow so I don't want to end up not telling you how I felt before anything happens again. I need to tell you something. You're all I ever wanted." He paused for a second, and then continues

 

"Marco Reus, I love you."

 

Marco is overwhelmed by Mario's words. He didn't expect Mario to say something like this. He started to cry. On the other side, Mario stood on the same place, waiting for the taller boy to respond to his confession. The smaller boy became nervous and doesn't know what to do next. Marco stops crying and came forward, and throw his arms to Mario's shoulder to hug the little boy. He whispers

 

"I love you too, Mario. I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from the Hunter Hayes' song, Wanted.
> 
> Did I succeed to sway you thinking that Kira is going to confess based on the last chapter? Or I failed because everyone knows it has to be Mario?
> 
> I'm so excited about this chapter so I wrote faster than I expected. But I'll probably do some minor edits later (like all my other works). I don't know if this was worth the wait of 15 chapters. Sometimes I post things that I regret later. Haha... I was going for a Marco confession before the party plot, but I've decided to change it to Mario because I didn't express much about Mario's love towards Marco. And Marco is shy, so yeah.
> 
> I ate a red bean walnut bun the previous day, it was yummy so I wrote that in. Lol...
> 
> And hey, I see that some of you like Blank Space. I never thought that story will get more than 5 kudos, but now it's going to surpass some of my other fics so yeah, thank you! :D
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- this left feels right


	17. This Left Feels Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thing of being a lefty

Being a lefty isn't easy, especially when you're living in the world that is favour to right handlers. Righties will never feel the pain the pain that lefties faces every day. They won't. Because the world is literary are biased towards righties. One of those examples are the chairs with writing tables in the school hall today. There wouldn't be a problem for righties because the table has an arm rest which is always on the right. Those are literary right-handed desks. Couldn't be more bias than that. Couldn't it? Well, there are some writing tables specially made for lefties. But there are only 10 in the whole room and you need to battle with all the other lefties to get them. 

 

"Oh god, this is discrimination!" said Kira as she rolls her eyes. She hates these tables with a passion. The 9th grader has to twist her body to the side in order to write on these pesky tables. And people would her look like an alien. It frustrated her. Kira always stares to those people whenever they gave her that look.  _I'm not an alien. Don't look at me like that._  Not that they need to write much in the hall today, but they still need to fill up those pointless feedback forms at the end of the session. Before she could even go to the special lefty tables section, her friend Thomas drags her to a seat at the back of the hall. As soon as they are seated, Thomas pulls out a question

 

"Have you gotten my horse yet?"

 

"No. Mom won't let me get a horse!" Kira answered with a grumpy tone. It's Monday morning and she has to write in this righty table. And on top of that she needs to deal with Thomas. She lets out a huge sigh, and continues "Well, give me some time, will ya? It's not like we getting a ball pen. It's a freaking horse."

 

"Well, okay. But be quick, okay?" Thomas replied. "By the way, why are you so grumpy? Not getting enough sleep again?"

 

"I guess so." she answered and starts to yawn. Kira has insomnia since she was young. She couldn't really explain the reasons. Maybe it was anxiety, hunger or excitement. Sometimes it was because of the overdose caffeine but other times she doesn't even know why.

 

The students are passing around the free gifts given by the event organiser. As soon as Kira gets her hands on one, she isn't thrilled about it.

 

"Spiral notebooks?" She lets out a huge sigh. Spiral notebooks are her main nemesis. Because the spiral is always at the left, where her hand should settle. Who the hell invented these? Kira needs to write the book in the Japanese way, which is writing them from back to the front. But this is nothing compared having to deal with ink smudged hand every single day. 

 

"Ugh!" she muttered as she rubs the ink marks off her hands. 

 

Kira never likes being called during math classes. Not that she's bad in math. She just hates writing in marker boards. Writing in marker boards can be a nerve-wracking task for a lefty. You need to make sure to leave a gap between the board or else your hands will be smudged by the marker ink. And not to mention rubbing off the words that you've just written. Crap. Kira writes her answers carefully on the board, and the writings look like a 5-year-old. But it's still better than having ink smudge hands.

 

Another small problem that she faces in school is filling up forms in the library. Not that they always need to fill up forms, but today Kira needs to get some videos for her research. The librarian hands her form and she starts to look for a pen. There is a pen on the right side, sticking on a pen holder. As always they are placed on the right side. And the cords on the pen holder is never long enough. Why on earth did they need to chain the pen in the first place? Like anyone would want to steal a pen. Seriously.

 

And then there is another day to day problems such as the measuring tapes and measuring cups are always on the wrong side. But they aren't printed on the wrong side. They are just printed to suit the right handed people.

 

"Why the tapes are upside down?" Kira asked.

 

"No, it's not. It looks just fine." Thomas replied.

 

One of the biggest woes of being left handed is using can openers. Kira never figures out how to use one. It's just something that is made for righties. Most of the time she would buy cans with a self-open lid. But there are still stubborn companies that produce cans that still requires can openers. 

 

"Mario!" she called her brother and hands him the can and a can opener with a grin. 

 

"I don't get it. After all these years you still haven't figured out how to use a can opener?" said Mario as hand gives back the opened can to his sister. 

 

"Thank you, Mario. You're the best!" she replied.

 

Dinner isn't getting easier for Kira. Even the cutlery are exclusively laid out to cater right handlers. Kira has to switch all the cutlery to the opposite side. She grabs a drink from a glass, but Mario smacks her hand for grabbing the wrong glass again. When the 9th grader starts cutting the meat, she has gone into an elbow war with Mario, who is sitting beside her. It's inevitable to bump elbows because Mario is a righty. Mario is annoyed and he looks at his sister. Kira realised that her brother is looking at her, so she says:

 

"What? It's not my fault that I'm a lefty." 

 

"Mom! We need a bigger table!" said Mario as he turns his head to his mom.

 

Mrs Götze looks at her children and sighs. She says, "How many times did I tell you kids to sit on your side? Now switch."

 

The kids do as they are told, grabbing all their cutlery and plate to switch places with each other. 

 

***

 

It is the weekends. Mario invites some friends to his house for table tennis. Mario enjoys playing doubles table tennis with Marco. They always win with when they play doubles. Today they are playing with Julian and Erik for Starbucks. The losing team will need to buy a cup of Starbucks drink for the winners. Mario and Marco are heading in the game at 10-7. Marco serves for the game and gets an ace. 

 

"Score!" Marco shouted. Mario scoops him from behind for a hug. 

 

"That's not fair. You're a lefty." said Julian, who is crying foul for his lost. 

 

"Too bad. You're still buying us that Starbucks." said Mario.

 

After the game, the boys head to the living room. Marco notices Kira, who is cutting a piece of paper. The paper looks like it's bitten by a dog. Marco picks up his bag and searches for a scissors.

  

"Here, use this." said Marco with a smile. He hands her a special left-handed scissors. Kira doesn't have special scissors like this. It's rare to find and it's too expensive.

 

"Danke." she replied with a smile.

 

***

 

Today there was a friendly between Die Mannschaft and Oranje held at Munich International school. The match ended a 2-2 draw. After the match, the team grab their lunch at the canteen. Marco is sitting at Mario's left side, so Kira decides to sit at his left.

 

Kira has been sitting beside Marco for a few times, much to André's annoyance. André could have sit at Mario's right, but Mario's side is always occupied. The shorter boy is popular among the team. Everyone wants to sit beside Mario. Today it was already occupied by Toni. 

 

"Kira, I want to sit next to Marco." said André. His tone is somewhat commanding. Kira looks at the boy. Uh oh. Guess that she has to give up that seat.

 

"No. Kira has to sit beside me." Marco replied. Everybody else looks at him.

 

"Why?" asked André'. He's upset with Marco's answer.

 

"Duh, she's a lefty." Marco explained. 

 

"Hpm..." André pouted. He stares at Kira. The 9th grader felt uncomfortable. She tries to avoid eye contact with the boy.

 

"You can sit here." said Mats, who withdraws his own place to André, which is the place opposite Marco. 

 

"Thank you." André replied.

 

Whew. Kira lets out a huge relief. The problem has finally solved. She gazes at the boy sitting beside her and smiles happily. Guess that being a lefty isn't totally a bad thing after all. At least she has a permanent place to sit now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a filler chapter, you're probably disappointed, but I feel like doing this. There's a message behind this chapter, though. I want to highlight about being a minority. Because some issues are really sensitive, I couldn't talk about it so I used this lefty example. Life is hard being a minority. It really is. But don't fret. There's always a good side in everything. 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to all lefties. I wanted to make a one shot of this story, but I'm not keen on doing the one shot and it's nice to incorporate it into this story so here it is.
> 
> Next chapter there will be some stuff going on. A game changer. Mostly about friendships. I know this is a love fiction, but friendships are important too =D
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Thomas finally gets his horse  
> \- Mario is trying to get rid of his sister  
> \- Benni and Mats ask Kira for help


	18. With a Little Help From My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting some help from friends.

"What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me?~" Kira sang.

 

"No. I would sing out of tune with you. By the way, where's my horse?" Thomas replied.

 

"Ugh... " Kira muttered. She drops her head and sighs. The brunette girl then lifts her head and continues "Thomas, stop asking it every single hour."

 

"Then, get me one and I'll stop asking forever." he said.

 

"But Tommy..." she said.

 

"Well, I'll borrow Merlin for now." Thomas continues.

 

"No, no, no! Leave Merlin alone! Tommy, leave him alone!" Kira shouted. She tries to stop Thomas, but the boy ignores her. He whistles Merlin and lures him with a piece of chicken, and the German Shepherd follows the boy out.

 

"Merlin, come back here! Merlin!" Kira called. But Merlin didn't respond.

 

"Don't come back for dinner, you stupid dog!" Kira yelled.

 

Upstairs, Marco and Mario are sitting side by side, writing English essay in Mario's room. The given topic is "The most beautiful thing you have seen". Mario stares at his blank paper and twirls his pencil for a couple of seconds, before writing down his name and date. After 10 minutes pasts by, still nothing comes to his mind, he frowns at his paper. The young boy then glances at his beau, who is already had almost a full page written. He rests his chin on his right hand and admires his new sweetheart with a mesmerized face. Marco notices it after few minutes, and he puts down his pen. The couple's eyes met. Marco flashes a lopsided smile to Mario. It's only the two of them in the room as André isn't here today, and Mario thinks it is a good opportunity to kiss Marco. He puts down his hand, tilt his head a bit to the side, leans closer and closer to his boyfriend. Marco gets the cue and closes his eyes, and Mario closes his too. Mario could feel Marco's mint-scented breath and he could almost feel Marco's lips. And then...

 

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

 

Both Mario and Marco open their eyes widely, looking at each others clueless face, eyes blinking for few times. What was that horrible scream? It seems like it's coming from the kitchen. The boys walk downstairs to check out the scene. They see a petrified Kira standing at the kitchen with both hands cover her face.

 

"What happened?" asked Mario.

 

"Katze![1] Katze!" Kira shouted.

 

Compared to other young girls, Kira is considered a brave soul. But even the bravest soul has its own fear. If superman's the biggest fear is kryptonite, Kira's biggest fear are cats. And her latest car accident didn't help either. She's afraid of everything cat related. Cats of all types and sizes. Even images of cats would give her nightmares. She also claims that she's allergic to cat fur.

 

Marco searches for the cat while Mario stares at his sister furiously. He was that close to having his first kiss with Marco, but his stupid sister has to ruin his moment for a cat. A cat. A harmless little furry animal. And there is no cat in the kitchen to begin with. Now he wants to strangle his sister. The young boy clenches his fist and prevents himself to yell at his sister. He takes a deep breath and starts talking

 

"Kira, there's no cat."

 

"Yes, there is! I swear I just saw it! It's black and fat!" Kira cries, with her hands, still covers her face. 

 

"There's no cat anymore!" Mario replied with his hands crossing.

 

"It's still there! I could sense it! Mario, get rid of it!" Kira yelled and stomped her feet.

 

"There's no cat anymore!" said Marco. He gently pulls Kira's hands away from her face. The 9th grader slowly opens her eyes and sees her brother and Marco standing beside her. But no cat. She feels relieved and flashes a smile. 

 

"See? No cats." Marco continues.

 

"Where's Merlin?" Mario asked.

 

"Thomas took him out." Kira replied with a frown. 

 

Mario sighs. He shakes his head and heads back to his room with Marco. He then raises an eyebrow to look at his beau. 

 

"What kind of witchcraft did you use on my sister?" asked the small boy. This isn't the first time his sister remotely listens to Marco. Kira lets them go to the Bieber concert with just one ask. Mario himself had tried numerous times to bribe his own sister but failed. Marco managed to persuade his sister to drive a car without a licence. And today she believes Marco's words when he told her that the cat is gone. It's like she's madly in love with Marco and would do anything for the boy.

 

"Maybe she just likes me more than you." Marco teased him.

 

"Oh no she doesn't!" Mario replied.

 

Marco flashes a lopsided smile to his lover and then whistles.

 

***

 

"Please!" Benni looks at Kira with the most innocent eyes he could ever make.

 

"I don't know." Kira answered. "Ugh, stop charming me with those sweet puppy eyes. I'll fall in love to you." 

 

"If you fall in love, that means you will agree to this, right?" Benni asked as the boy keeps on tugging her T-shirt. 

 

Benni's mom has been enrolled extra tuition classes for Benni to maintain her son' grades. The boy literary has not much extra time to hang out as much as he used to. Mr Höwedes also keeps track on Benni's outings. Who he goes out with, how long they will go out and where they will hang out. Benni has run out of excuses to lie about his outing. Mats had come out a plan get the poor boy out of the house. However, this plan would need a third person to assist them. He decided to get Benni a lover. A fake one. He and Benni had discussed it and both boys had decided to ask Kira as a decoy. The only people that knew about Mats and Benni's relationship are Kira and Marco. Since Marco already had a love interest, Mats wouldn't want to disturb him. And Kira would make a good decoy. She is so witty and able to think on her feet. She will help Benni out of trouble. And Mrs Höwedes does like her. She has to be their decoy.

 

Being Benni's "girlfriend" isn't a bad thing. Benni is such a cutie and is one of the top students in school. Many girls would dream to be in her shoes. If Kira doesn't have a crush she would totally do it. She would help a friend, and Benni as her boyfriend seems nice too. It's one stone hit two birds. It's not that Kira is desperate to get a boyfriend but able to show off once in a while is kind of cool. Her as an ordinary girl having a cool boyfriend would be a smack reply to those rich kids who think they are so cool.

 

Kira's phone buzz. It's a message from Thomas. He sends her a picture of a horse. It is the gazillion time he sent these pictures to her. Thomas has been bugging her for the past few days about the horse, and it's driving her up the wall. She hasn't even resolve that problem and now she has to deal with two 9th grader that acts like 6-year-old kids begging for candies from their mum. She felt like her T-shirt is going to fall off any moment, so she stop the boys.

 

"Okay, how long are you planning to do this?" she asked.

 

"Until mom accepts Mats." Benni answers.

 

"Well, fine. But you need to get me a horse." Kira said. 

 

"Huh?" Both boys puzzled.

 

"Yeah, Ich möchte ein Pferd.[2]" she repeated herself.

 

"Yes, we'll get you a horse!" Benni said quickly. Mats looks at him with a surprised face. 

 

"Benni, how are we going to get a horse?" Mats whispered to Benni. 

 

"We'll get it." Benni replied without thinking.

 

Kira actually isn't too keen on her agreement. She's worried about how Marco would think about it. But Benni told her that it is temporary. And she couldn't find Thomas a horse.

 

At least she solved that problem.

 

***

 

Mario is annoyed. His sister has been obstructing his alone time with Marco since the beginning of the school year. Kira has been involving herself in almost every activity the boys do. It annoys Mario every time she does that. She joins them in the football activities, video games, cycling, jogging, lunch... The almost-first-kiss incident was the nail on the coffin. He really needs to get rid of his sister as soon as possible.

 

But the question is how?

 

He suddenly remembered that his best friend André isn't as clingy to him and Marco as he used to, and that strikes his mind. André has a love interest now. Hmm... maybe he could find one for his sister too.

 

The young boy looks at his sister from top to bottom, and from the bottom back to the top. His sister has good genes like him, so that isn't a problem. She has a good personality too, it isn't a problem either. The only problem is... the way she presents herself. There is somehow horribly wrong with the way she dresses herself. Either the colours doesn't match, size doesn't fit, or the style doesn't suit her. She's a horrible mess when it comes to fashion. Mario is embarrassed by her when it comes to fashion matters. Sometimes Mario would advise her but Kira being the elder sister is always stubborn and ignorant. She would think she knows better than her younger brother, and it drives Mario nuts.

 

"Kira, you need a makeover." Mario said.

 

"What? What's wrong with me? There's nothing wrong." said Kira after looking at herself.

 

"Everything's wrong. The colour is wrong, and it's too big for you. I'll give you a 4, and that's because you're my sister." said Mario as he points Kira's blouse. Kira crosses her arms, she isn't impressed with Mario's words. Mario knew she wouldn't agree with him so he asks her to take a photo and post it in the Die Mannschaft group chat. If Mario could prove his sister wrong, she will probably listen to him. Philipp, Thomas, Per, Miroslav give a 6. Bastian, Lukas, André give a 5. Jérõme gives a 3. Marco gives an 8. 

 

"See, Marco gives me an 8!" Kira quickly replied as soon as she saw Marco's 8. Mario shakes his head and adds a reply to the group chat.

 

Mario: Marco, the truth, please.

Marco: 5, I'm sorry :(

 

Kira couldn't believe what she just saw. She is horrified by the result. She begs her brother for a complete makeover. Mario agrees. He smirks as he finally gets his sister to obey his instructions. He brought his friend Jérôme to help him with this mission. Jérôme is very opinionated when it comes to fashion. As soon as he arrives Mario's house and sees Kira, he whispers to Mario.

 

"Psst... Mario, it's your sister colour blind?"

 

They teenagers proceed to Kira's room to evaluate Kira's wardrobe. Jérôme and Mario tossed half of the wardrobe, and Kira tries to save them. The ones that are okay were the ones chosen by Mario, the ones that Mrs Götze bought, and the one that Marco gave her. Not much from the ones that she bought herself.

 

"This should be burnt!" said Jérôme.

 

"But this is my favourite!" Kira plead. "Can I keep this, please?"

 

"No!" Jérôme replied and he dumps it to the reject bin. That was the last piece of clothing from her wardrobe.

 

"Girl, you need some major renovation here. Grab your cards, we're going shopping." said Jérôme.

 

Mario opens the safe. In the safe there's a shiny silver debit card. Mario looks at the debit card, smiling.

 

"Stop it! Mom said this is for emergencies only!" said Kira as she grabs Mario's hand, preventing her brother to take the card.

 

"This IS an emergency!" Mario said as he snatches the debit card. "When mom sees you in pretty clothes, she'll thank me."

 

The teenagers head to the salon and get Kira's hair done. She had long straight hair without layers. They boys ask the hair dresser to create think bangs at the front and layer her hair. Kira seems satisfied at the end result. After that, they visit every major fashion retail brands they could find. H&M, Zara, MNG, Forever 21, Uniqlo, Next, River Island... Kira is complaining a hell lot during the shopping trip. Too revealing, expensive, slutty, too much bling, clothes making her itch, too transparent, too tight, too old... the complaints just wouldn't stop.

 

"Oh mett gott, I'm not wearing that!" said Kira as Mario hands her a pair of skyscraper heels.

 

"Mario, look at the price!" Kira whispered to his brother. Some of the ones that Mario picked are way too much from their usual budget. Normally they bought their clothes through sales. Sometimes those discounted prices do save them a lot of pocket money. But Mario is ignoring Kira's words today. He picks a number of dresses and asks his sister to try them on. They end up buying tons of clothes without realising their spending amount.

 

***

 

It turns out that getting for a horse isn't an easy task. That is if you don't have money. Benni has now understood why Kira would want them to find a horse. It now looks like mission impossible. He searched the internet with Mats for hours, and all of them are way out of their budget.

 

"Mats, what did we sign up for?" asked Benni.

 

"I don't know, Benni. I don't know." Mats replied.

 

Benni takes a break from the horse searching mission by logging into Facebook. He scrolls his dashboard and stops at one of the pictures. It is a picture of Lisa and a horse. He looks at Mats, and both boys are thinking the same thing.

 

The boys go to Lisa's house and asks her for help. Hopefully, Lisa could get them a horse. Or at least some advice could help. Lisa has 8 horse and maybe she could borrow one of hers to them until they could get one for real.

 

"We're looking for a horse. It's for Kira." said Benni.

 

"Benni, why are you so straight forward?!" Mats whispered. 

 

"Kira? Hmm..." she looks around the stable and stopped at one of the horses. "Well, there's this little one here. He's abandoned by his previous owner because he wasn't good enough for competitions. But he's really healthy and good nature. I'm just fostering him for the time being, but you can have him for free you want."

 

 "We'll take it!" Both boys exclaimed without any hesitation.

 

***

 

"Here's your horse, Tommy." said Kira as she hands Thomas a leash.

 

"WHAT??!!" Thomas exclaimed. He didn't expect this at all. "This isn't a horse!"

 

"Yes, it is. It's called a miniature horse." Kira answered.

 

"But how am I supposed to ride this?" he asked.

 

"Not my problem. Now keep your promise and stop bugging me about horses." she grins to the boy before walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Katze - "cat" in German  
> [2] Ich möchte ein Pferd - "I want a horse" in German
> 
> Thomas has miniature horses so that inspired this. 
> 
> A weird coincidence when I saw a Tumblr horoscope post about Die Mannschaft last week. As a Leo, I've got Marco as the boyfriend (Kira's crush), Mats as the roommate (life starts after 6 pm Benni's roommate) and Thomas as the best friend (well, he's Kira's best friend). Whoever wrote that speaks my mind. Omg.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Kira adapting to be Benni's girlfriend


	19. He's My... Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira being Benni's "girlfriend"

Kira is now officially Benni's new 'girlfriend'. It is part of the deal that she made with Mats and Benni in exchange for Thomas' horse. Now that the boys had found a horse, she had no choice but to take part in their little plan. It's not as easy as just pretending in front of Benni's mom. They need to make the whole thing believable so that Mrs Höwedes will be fully convinced of this relationship. That means they need to make the whole world believe. The boys took Kira to several places to take some selfies. Photos of playful, teasing, cuddling, almost kissing are taken and uploaded via Facebook and Instagram as their 'evidence'. Mats is okay with it. In fact, he is the one directing them to make the poses. The teenagers had fun making those shoots. They giggle and poke fun at each others awkwardness during the process. After having the required photo session, Mats and Benni would fool around and take more photos themselves. And that's where Kira felt left out. 

 

And now Benni, Mats and Kira would start spending more time together as a trio. The boys would drag her along whenever they go. Mostly they would spend at Kira's room because it would give them the privacy that they need. The boys are always perky and playful, eyes glued to each other, leaving Kira at the other corner, feeling awkward. Benni and Mats try to be as thoughtful as possible, giving her some attention and gifts to cheer her up from time to time. But most of the time, Kira is stuck with them as an awkward 3rd wheel. And now she has other concerns as well. Thomas' horse issues and being Benni's girlfriend has caused her drifting apart from Marco. She is very upset about it. The 9th grader has to come out with something to solve this. She glances to the love birds beside her and taps her finger on the table.

 

The Kira/Benni plan has turned out to be successful, for now. The teenagers did manage to fool the world. Almost. Everyone else was dumbfounded, as their circle of friends were so certain that Kira will end up with Thomas. Although most of their friends and families were surprised, they trust the relationship is genuine. Every one of them is happy for the new couple except Marco. Marco knew Mats is in love with Benni. Mats has told him before. And he could feel that Benni also likes Mats too. But now Benni suddenly decides to have an 180° turn to become Kira's boyfriend. And Mats' reaction towards this relationship even beyond weird too. He looks super delighted for the pair. This doesn't make any sense. He pulls Mats aside to ask him some questions in private.

 

"Mats, what's going on?" he whispered.

 

"Huh?" Mats puzzled.

 

"You and Benni. I thought you and Benni are in love." Marco continues.

 

"Well, it didn't work out." Mats answered swiftly, trying to avoid any eye contact with Marco. But Marco isn't ready to give up.

 

"I don't believe that." he answered, giving Mats a stern look. But Mats keep on diverting his answers, not letting the younger boy getting any truth from him. Marco isn't impressed with Mats' answers. He thinks there must be something more to this. Another individual that isn't convinced by the relationship is Thomas. The Bavarian boy knew Kira likes Marco. He found out about that not too long ago. If Kira is in love with Benni, she wouldn't need to get herself into all that trouble just to get a horse for the Bavarian boy. And Kira isn't that close to Benni either. Yes, they are friends, but they didn't spend that much time together. There isn't even a slight hint of love from both of them.

 

"I don't buy it, girl." he whispered, leaning close with sharp eyes staring at Kira's. "What game are you playing, Kira Götze?"

 

"Game of love." Kira replied with an unfazed lopsided smile.

 

***

 

"Mario! Kira!" Mrs Götze yelled. The kids are surprised to hear that. They slowly walk their way to the living room, figuring out what they had done to make mom angry again. They aren't looking forward to this meeting. Judging by the tone, it must be something bad. Something really really bad.

 

"Explain this!" said Mrs Götze, slamming the debit card statement on the table. She looks furious. Who wouldn't? It's 400 Euros. The two teenagers squirt their eyes for a second. Mario's hands and feet are shaking. Kira gulps. The kids were silent, not dare to make a sound. Mrs Götze's eyes are on fire. She isn't going to let the kids run away with this. She demands an explanation and wouldn't quit until she gets one.

 

"It's Kira's!" Mario finally confessed. Kira turns her head to Mario, jaw dropping. She couldn't believe that her little brother has just betrayed her. Both of them has promised to share the responsibility of this bill, but little Mario has decided to become a traitor. _You little traitor!_

 

"Mario got himself a pair of jeans too!" Kira spills the remaining details. Since Mario has told mom about it, she didn't need to cover up for her brother. Mario darts his eyes to Kira. _I helped you change your image and you repay me like this? How dare you? You ungrateful girl!_

 

"Hey!" Mario shouted back.

 

"That's it! Both of you are going to pay them through your allowance." said Mrs Götze.

 

"But mom, she needs this makeover. We got her a boyfriend after the makeover. See?" said Mario, trying to ease the situation.

 

"Nice try, junge Mann[1]." mom answered. 

 

"Mom-" Kira and Mario shouted. But Mrs Götze ignored her children's plea. The children keep on appealing with no success. In the midst of pleading, they heard a growl. The sound came from the backyard. It is Merlin's growls and barks. What triggered Merlin to be that fierce? Mrs Götze, Kira, and Mario are puzzled. They look at each other, thinking of the possibilities. Mrs Götze goes out to check the situation.

 

"Grrr... Woof woof woof!!!"

 

"Oh shoot!" said Kira. She just remembered about the thing she hid in the backyard. Something that isn't supposed to be seen by her mom. She runs outside and heard mom screaming from the yard. It was too late. Kira squirts her eyes and shrinks her shoulders. Apparently mom has found out something else too. She drops her head, slowly walks to the yard. When she arrives the backyard, she witnesses mom's face that is a mix of anger, irritation and shock.

 

"Young lady, what is this? I specifically told you not to get a horse." said Mrs Götze with a furious tone, her finger points to the horse.

 

"That's... Tommy's horse." Kira murmured. 

 

"Why is Thomas' horse at our house?" asked Mrs Götze.

 

"It's just temporary." Kira replied with her head facing the ground, not even dare to look at her mom.

 

"You said the dog was temporary too." said Mrs Götze as she shifts her eyes to Merlin. The German Shepherd tilt it's head to the side, gave her an innocent look, wondering what the humans are talking about. Although Mrs Götze didn't mind having Merlin around the house anymore, but a horse is a whole new thing. A horse needs more space, more maintenance fee than a dog. Not to mention it isn't welcomed by the family dog either. There is no way she would let this chaos around the house. 

 

"You have 3 days to get the horse out from the house. Or I'll do it my way." said Mrs Götze with a stern voice.

 

***

 

Kira demanded Thomas collect his horse from her house. Her mom has been nagging her nonstop about it. She has no choice but to push Thomas harder to fetch his horse. The Bavarian boy ended up taking the little horse to the school stable, as he couldn't fit the horse in his flat. Lisa is surprised to see the horse in the stable. She leans down to pat the tiny horse. The horse looks thin and scruffy. Someone didn't do a good job taking care of it.

 

"Well, hello there, you poor thing. What brings you back here?" Lisa asked the little horse.

 

Thomas came back to the stable with some carrots on his hands. He sees Lisa whispering something to the horse. Feeling delighted, he says, "His name is Harry."

 

Lisa turns her head around, and asks "Thomas, do you know why he's here?"

 

"He's my horse." Thomas replied. 

 

"Your horse? Since when Kira's horse became your horse?" asked the puzzled Lisa.

 

"No, he's not Kira's horse. He's mine." Thomas answered, assuring Lisa about his horse.

 

"What is all of this about? At first Benni wants a horse for Kira, and then she gave it to you. And now you just dump it here? You guys think it's a toy? Horses have emotions too! Look at him! All tangled and dirty, has anyone even bathe him?" said Lisa furiously.

 

"Erm... I was going to..." said Thomas.

 

"That's it. I'm not letting you guys torture him anymore." said Lisa. Feeling baffled, she takes the horse leash and pull the horse away from Thomas.

 

"No! Lisa, no!" "Let me explain!" Thomas plead. He stops Lisa from walking and starts to explain himself. But Lisa didn't listen to a word from the Bavarian boy.  

 

 

***

 

Mario and Marco aren't paying attention to their English class today. The boys are passing little paper notes to each other during the class. Every time they pass a note, both of them would glance around the room to make sure their teacher isn't noticing them. As Marco is writing a note, Mario glances to his beau and smiles. The forbidden activity makes the whole affair more exciting. And the boys enjoy the fun. Marco passes a note to Mario, which goes like this

 

Marco: Me + you

 

Mario reads the note and giggles. He glances to Marco and the boy chuckles. This sentence is all too familiar for him. It is a lyric from Justin Bieber's song 'One Time', one of the songs they love to sing along. He plays along the lyric game with Marco by writing back a sentence from the same song. And Marco replies with the song lyrics too.

 

Mario: Your world is my world

Marco: My breath is your breath

Mario: And your heart is my heart 

Marco: I love you, Sunny! =)

Mario: I love you, Woody! =)

Marco: I wish I could tell the world =(

 

Mario froze after reading the last note. He has the same feelings too. He wanted to shout at the world, saying "Marco Reus is my boyfriend". However, it isn't that easy as it looks. It takes tons of courage to come out from the closet as the society still isn't fully accepting homosexual relationships with open arms. They had witnessed Mats' gay rumour beforehand. It was indeed not a pleasant experience. The constant mocking and jeers from the other boys are a horrible experience. Thankfully Mats' case came to an end after the girls from Mats Hummels fan club cleared the rumours for him. But in Mario's case, he knows very well that he is gay, and his relationship with Marco isn't just a fling. They know they are deeply in love with each other. Mario is not just afraid for himself, but for Marco too. Neither Marco nor himself deserve any of this treatment. In fact, no one in the world deserves this for just being gay. It's just isn't fair. Why does he need to hide his own self in front of the public? He couldn't understand why. Why couldn't he hold hands with a boy like all the other heterosexual kids? What is wrong by being gay? Homosexual isn't even a crime. People don't get hurt by a gay person for just being gay. The young boy brushes through his hair with his right hand. He writes something on a paper but then crumbles the paper with his other hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] junge Mann - "young man" in German
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- I'm not that perfect


	20. I'm Not Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behind the perfect world of the teenagers

"I'm not that perfect as you think I am. I've worked so hard to get what I wanted. I couldn't just walk away like that. I'm here because of him."

 

*** 

 

Kira washes her hand in front of the washroom basin. She shakes off the water, fixes her hair and adjusts her dress before the 9th grader heads to the exit. But the door is locked. Kira is confused. It wasn't locked when she came. She tries to push the door again, but it remains unmoved. Kira begins to become panic. She bangs the door and shouts for help for a couple of minutes, but there is no response. She bumps herself against the door, but the door is still looked untouched. It is too solid to break. She has thought of climbing out through the windows, but the windows are too small. Kira looks around the washroom to see if there is anything she could get hold of to escape. Eventually, she hears a click sound. She runs to the door and pushes it. The door is easily opened without any force. Someone must have locked the door on purpose. 

 

She walks to the school hall and sees Mario with a few bruises on his face and limbs. She notices that Marco and André are injured too. She has a feeling that her being locked up is related to this incident. The 9th grader doesn't waste any second and asks

 

"What happened?"

 

"It was the basketball boys." said Mario. It isn't the first time they got into a fight with the guys from the basketball team. Kira, Marco, Mario and André got ambushed a week after Sarah's party. Kira fought back, but the bullies don't stop there. André was beaten up twice personally while Marco and Mario got themselves hurt by helping their buddy the other day. 

 

"Stop it, Mario!" said André, who tries to stop Mario from elaborating.

 

"She'll find out eventually. It's the 5th time." Mario continues.

 

"What? There are actually sequels? So that day you two fell from the stairs was a lie, I assume?" asked Kira, as she looks at Mario. Both Mario and Marco nod. Kira shakes her head.

 

"Screw those seniors! I'm going to kick their asses!" said Kira furiously. She shakes her head and walks away, but she is stopped by Marco.

 

"No, don't. They will revenge it on us later. " said Marco as he holds Kira's wrist. Marco is right. Kira might be able to defend herself, but those bullies might pull something like this again.

 

"Then what do we do? Just stand there and let them beat us? I was locked in the toilet for 15 minutes. My brother and you are hurt because of this. We have to do something." Kira replied.

 

"Well, I don't know. Just don't be so impulsive, okay?" said Marco as he tries to calm Kira down. Kira then glares at André.

 

"Ugh... It's all because of that stupid girl. You, stop involving yourself with that stupid girl anymore! You're going to make us hurt again. What's the point? In the end she still goes back to that shit boyfriend of hers anyway." she grunted as she said to André.

 

"She has a name. Her name is Montana. And she's not stupid!" André replied with an unfazed look.

 

"Whatever! Just don't drag us to your stupid fights again. Bye!" Kira replied as she storms away.

 

***

 

_Thomas: Fix it, potato! D: <_

_Kira: Stop bugging me, banana! Fix it yourself! >:(_

 

Thomas has tried explaining the horse situation to Lisa. He even told the girl that he likes her the other day. But of course, Lisa rejected him without hesitation. Thomas then bombs a number of text messages to Kira, demanding her to fix the problem. Kira refuses because she's already has a few problems herself. And this is not really her problem to begin with. The tension between the two friends has become intense. They didn't talk in school, just glared each other for the whole day. Thomas is blaming her for the horse incident and Kira is angry at Thomas for bugging her and putting her on the blame. In Kira's defence, she didn't even know the horse came from Lisa. She didn't ask any details from Benni. The brunette girl was too excited just to get a horse for free.

 

Thomas switches his sight to Lisa. The boy is mesmerized by Lisa's exquisite beauty. He stares at the young girl's features. Her long brown wavy hair, soft blue eyes, thin lips...  _She's just too perfect._ But as soon as Lisa notices him, he quickly open up his book and pretends to read. After a few seconds, the boy takes a peek to Lisa's direction again. The girl isn't looking at him anymore. He whimpers quietly by himself.

 

Kira saw what happened to Thomas in the classroom. Feeling guilty, she decides to pay Lisa a visit after school. She spends few minutes to think about of what to say before knocking the door. Although she isn't in good terms with Thomas at the moment, she still cares deeply about her best friend. She knows that Thomas would do the same for her too. Besides, their argument couldn't last more than 3 days anyway. Lisa opens the door, but she isn't happy to see Kira.

 

"If you are coming on behalf of Thomas for the horse, forget it." she said with a resentful tone as she tries to shut the door. Kira manages to stop her from shutting.

 

"No, wait! I have something to tell you." said Kira. "Thomas really likes you."

 

"I'm not interested in a polyamorous relationship." said Lisa with a glazed look. 

 

"Polyamorous?" Kira puzzled.

 

"Yeah. Your love triangle with Benni and Thomas. I don't want to be a part of it." Lisa replied.

 

"Huh? Since when..." Kira responded. She stopped for a second and realised that Lisa assumed Thomas and her are a couple, like the rest of the world did. "Oh. We're not in that kind of relationship."

 

"Really?" asked Lisa.

 

"Nope. He's like a brother to me." Kira responded.

 

"Oh, I get it. Just like you and Marco?" Lisa asked.

 

"Well, that's..." Kira paused.  _Not exactly._  Marco is a different case. Kira does like Marco as a romantic companion. But now that she is tag as Benni's girlfriend, it's best not to over complicate things anymore. Most importantly is to resolve the misunderstanding about Thomas, which is her mission today. She just nods to Lisa's question. 

 

"Silly me. I thought you and Thomas are a couple." Lisa responded with a laugh. "But what's with the horse?"

 

"Well, Thomas wants a horse to get closer to you. I got him the horse because I... I'm returning him a favour. I didn't know you used to foster it. Anyway, he really likes you."

 

"Really?" Lisa asked. 

 

"He has been self-learning about horses for the past few months. And he's getting himself a horse. I've never seen him that serious apart from football." Kira continues. "He may not be the most thoughtful guy, but he still has a lot of great qualities."

 

"I... I never thought that he really likes me. I always thought he was fooling around." Lisa replied. She shooked her head in disbelief.  

 

"Well, I'm not the one that is obsessed with horses." said Kira, and she flashes a smile to Lisa.

 

***

 

Three teenagers Benni, Mats and Kira are reading the menu in front of McDonalds, deciding what to eat. It isn't an easy choice for Mats, who is still struggling to save money to repay Benni. He has been helping with his mom's part time job, which is stuffing envelopes. It's the only job that he could have since he's not in a legal working age. He has tried his hardest, but you can only earn that much for stuffing envelopes. Sometimes Benni would offer to buy him food but he feels bad about it. Kira on the other hand is also having a hard time too. She is suffering a massive cut of allowance for the dresses that Mario made her buy. She managed to return 2 dresses from the 12 she bought that day. It was still within the 14 days refund policy, but most of them are either worn or have their tags removed. And there is one that she really likes. So she decides to keep it. Thankfully Benni gets an extra allowance from his mom. Mrs Höwedes has given Benni some extra money because she wants her son to treat a girl nicely by buying her something nice to eat. And so, with Benni and Kira's limited money, they are still able to buy something decent, as in full sets of meals for 3. Benni initially planned to go somewhere special for Mats' birthday, but they could only afford McDonalds. And they didn't have extras for cake either. It isn't ideal, but at least they could spend time together. After settling a nice spot to eat, Benni and Kira wish a happy birthday to Mats. Benni looks at his beau and notices that he isn't happy. He knows Mats is still stressed about money, and so he starts to sing a song to comfort him. 

 

 _"And we'll never be royals,_  
_It don't run in our blood,_  
_That kind of lux just ain't for us._  
_We crave a different kind of buzz._  
_Let me be your ruler,_  
_You can call me king B (Benni)_  
_And baby I'll rule..._  
_Let me live that fantasy."_

 

Mats takes a glimpse at his boyfriend and cracks a smile listening to the song. 

 

***

  
"Tick Tak Tick Tak!"

 

The sounds of the bouncing ping pong ball came from the Götze house. Kira and Philipp are playing table tennis at the utility room. Philipp whacks the ball with his paddle and it hits Kira's side of the table. But it is too quick for Kira to return the ball. Kira puts her hands on her hips and looks at Philipp with an irritated look.

 

"Damn, I hate you. Why do you have to be good at everything?" she said.

 

"I'm not." Philipp replied.

 

Philipp isn't that perfect at all. He isn't good at basketball, at least. In fact, his biggest flaw is being short, which brings him all sorts of struggles since he was young. It is painfully hard for him just to reach something from the top shelf without any assistance. Short people are automatically discriminated by the society due to size. They are being ignored for most of the time. Philipp has to work harder to get noticed. He has to make twice the effort compared to the other kids just to be in the same level as them. Even something as simple as running. Philipp became hardworking and diligent in everything he does because of that. He just wants to get respected and to be noticed from his peers. But sometimes it got him some enemies, mostly in the form of jealousy. His 8th-grade German teacher is still holding a grudge as the 11th grader corrected her mistake in front of the class. He has called out his former football captain for a duel because the previous captain isn't doing well. Some of his Grundschule classmates hated him after he pointed out a mistake in a test paper which cause a major change in everyone's grade. But of course, the hate didn't last, as his classmates eventually ask him answers for homework. Philipp just wants to say out his mind. He isn't set out to put people in shame or brag about himself. He just couldn't stand when things go wrong. Maybe sometimes he should keep his mouth shut. 

 

"Maybe you should keep it to yourself for once." said Kira. She refers to an incident that Philipp told him earlier. Philipp has criticised his English teacher's teaching ability earlier this morning. The teacher gave Philipp a C for his essay.

 

"I can't help it!! He gives the wrong knowledge and confusing everyone in the class. I bet you would do the same." Philipp replied.

 

"Hmm... that's true." Kira responded. What Philipp said is absolutely true. It's a big problem if a teacher couldn't teach well. Students will get the wrong information and suffer in the long run. But going against the higher authority is always a disadvantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The banana and potato term came from the banana song in Despicable Me.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- an unforgettable Christmas market


	21. Der Christkindlmarkt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teenagers getting ready for Christmas.

It took a brave soul, or half of a brave soul, to do what he did. A mysterious person has sent a video clip containing the basketball team seniors bullying André, Marco and Mario to the principal's office. It was probably the same mysterious person that told Mr and Mrs Yorke about Montana being sexually assaulted. The Yorke family has made a police report and Scott is facing a restraining order on Montana.

 

Nobody knows who this mysterious whistleblower is. There are rumours that Kira is the whistleblower but the fact is, she's not. Kira felt that she knows this person, but couldn't figure out who that is. She tried asking all her friends, but all of them answered 'no'. The seniors were suspended from school for two weeks and school became very peaceful place since then.

 

***

 

"What is that?" asked Mini Mini as she points to the little red and green bags on Kira's desk.

 

"Oh, it's for an Advent Calender. In Germany, people make Advent Calenders to count down the days until Christmas Day. Mario and I always make one for each other every year. I'm going to divide the lego pieces into 24 bags and give one to Mario every day until Christmas." Kira replied.

 

"That's cute!" Mini Mini said.

 

Kira picks up one of the little bags and walks to Mario's room. She hands the little bag to Mario. The little bag contains parts of the football lego set that Mario had wanted to buy since last month. But it was a bit pricey for the young boy so he gave up the thought. Little did he know his sister bought it two weeks after. Mom just gave her some extra money for Christmas shopping. It is only the Christmas month where Kira and Mario get more allowance for Christmas shopping.

 

"What's this for?" asked the puzzled Mario.

 

"Advent calendar, silly. Where's mine?" Kira responded.

 

Uh oh.

 

"Erm..." Mario stumbled. He has been busy making an Advent Calender for Marco and has totally forgotten about making one for his sister. Kira looks at him with her big brunette eyes, waiting for an answer from Mario. He gulps and then continues, "You have to search it yourself."

 

"Tressure hunt eh? Interesting..." she replied with a raised eyebrow.

 

Kira dashes to the living room to search for her Advent Calender. Mario lets out a huge breath after Kira left. But he still isn't off the hook yet. He has to fix the situation before his sister finds out the truth. The young boy sneaks out to the cosmetic shop when his sister isn't noticing and chooses a light pink colour nail polish. He quickly returns home after purchasing the gift.

 

Kira searched high and low within the house, but she haven't found what she wanted. Instead of the gift she found her old Shakira CDs in the bookshelves and also her phone charger which was slid in the sofa since last week. Mini Mini joins her to search for the sake of fun. Both girls turned the living room around but still didn't find any hints of Christmas. After searching the living room, they went through Kira's room and there was nothing there as well. As soon as Mario came back, he is shocked to see a messy living room. Books, tools, appliances, clothes are scattered around the room.

 

"Mom's gonna freak out if she sees this." said Mario.

 

"This is your fault, Mario. Where the hell did you hide it?" Kira said with a frustrated tone. She has been searching the house for an hour but still haven't found her Advent Calender.

 

"Erm... Keep searching, you're close." said Mario. He dashes to Kira's room while his sister is busy searching in the utility room. The young boy slides the nail polish under a pillow and quickly walks away.

 

Mario looks at the time. It is already 5 pm. Mom and dad are going to reach home soon and they will freak out if they see the house in this situation. He persuades his sister to clean up the house and promises her to reveal the location of the Advent Calendar before the day ends. Both siblings and Mini Mini join forces to tidy up the house before Mr and Mrs Götze reach home. After cleaning up, Kira is exhausted. She falls back to her bed and feels something hard under her pillow. She gets up, picks up the pillow and sees a bottle of nail polish with a tag written 'Advent Calender 1'. Her face glows instantly.

 

"I found it! Finally!"

 

***

 

"Mats, can you come here for a while?"

 

Mrs Hummels called her son from her room and takes a few Euro notes from the drawer. She hands it to Mats and says, "Here, go and buy something nice for Benni's Christmas present."

 

"But mom..." Mats replied with a worried expression.

 

"I had everything covered, no worries. Now, take it before I change my mind." Mrs Hummels responded. Mats looks at his mom for a while, trying to read her body language. But all he observed is a positive and hopeful mother. Mrs Hummels holds her son's hand, place the Euro notes and bends her son's hand.

 

"Thanks, mom." Mats replied with a smile. His eyes soften as he looks at the money notes given to him. He starts counting the money and then puts the money into his pocket and starts thinking about what to buy for Benni.

 

***

 

Lisa goes to the school stable early in the morning as usual for her daily horse feeding and grooming routine. As she walks into the stable, she is stunned by Thomas, who is feeding the horses with carrots and stroking them. The boy is bonding nicely with the horses like a good horse handler does. Lisa stands at the door to observe more about Thomas. The horses seem to be calm and friendly with Thomas.

 

"He looks like a pro." Someone whispers beside Lisa. Lisa is shocked by the voice. The teenage girl turns her head to the side. It was Kira standing beside her.

 

"Don't mind me. I'm just passing by." said Kira and she walk away from the stable. Lisa turns her head to Thomas' direction and walks closer to the boy.

 

"Thomas." she called.

 

"Whoa!" Thomas exclaimed. He flips out when he heard someone calls his name. The carrots that he was holding are dropped to the floor.

 

"I was wondering who has been feeding the horses for the past two weeks. I asked the school janitor and she said it wasn't her. But I really didn't expect it was you." the girl replied.

 

"You didn't like it? I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I promise." Thomas replied.

 

"No, no... I don't mean that. I mean... thank you, Thomas. You did well, especially with the carrots." Lisa quickly replied with a shy voice.

 

"Well, does that mean I'm promoted to the Carrot Manager now?" the boy asked with a smile.

 

Lisa giggles softly to Thomas' joke and replies, "Yes, you are now Carrot Manager."

 

***

 

"I'm quite impressed that you managed to learn so fast during these few months." Philipp said.

 

"That's because I have a very good private tutor. Thank you, sensei." Mini Mini replied with a smile. She then sighs. "I'm bored. My host parents aren't going to be here this weekend. Are you doing anything this weekend, Philipp?"

 

"Yeah, I'm going to the Christkindlmarkt." Philipp answered.

 

"Christkindlmarkt?" the girl asked.

 

"Yeah. Christkindlmarkt means Christmas market. It is a street market we have it every year during the four weeks of Advent, which is the days before Christmas for the Christmas celebration. There are traditional cookies, candies, gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, Christmas ornaments, and there are also some events like traditional singing and dancing." the captain explained.

 

"Wow! That sounds awesome! I've never been to a Christkindlmarkt. Can you bring me there? Please? Please? Please?" said Mini Mini with her eyes sparkle to Philipp as she tugs the captain's arm.

 

"Okay, okay! I'll bring you there." Philipp responded with a smile.

 

***

 

Benni: Are you free this weekend? I was wondering if I could meet Mats at the Christmas market.

Kira: Yeah. I need to get something too.

Benni: Thanks. :)

Kira: But you're buying me chocolates.

Benni: No problem ;)

 

Mrs Höwedes came to the Götze house and fetch Kira, then drops off Benni and Kira at the Christmas Market. Both teenagers chat while waiting for Mats to arrive. Mats arrives two minutes later and Kira part ways with the boys to do some Christmas shopping herself. They promise to meet at the same place two hours later. Kira checks out the stalls in the market. She is spoilt with choices of wooden toys, handicrafts, ceramics and Christmas themed ornaments. Among the beautiful toys, there is a toy soldier nutcracker that caught her eye. It reminds her of Marco as it has a similar feature of a skinny tall body. She picks up the nutcracker and bargains a good price from the seller.

 

Philipp and Mini Mini arrives the Christmas market by bus. As soon as they reach the market, Mini Mini is captivated by the bright colours of Christmas lights. The market is decorated with Christmas lights all around the stalls. There are Christmas trees filled with yellow lights in every corner of the market, and a giant glowing Santa Claus at the middle of the street.

 

"Wow! It's so lovely!" Mini Mini exclaimed with excitement and sprints towards the giant Santa Claus.

 

"Wait! Mini! Wait!" Philipp shouted as he tries to keep up with her. Philipp runs as fast as he could and managed to catch her hand. As he stops running, he realises he bump into Lisa and Thomas.

 

"Fips?" Thomas said.

 

"Thomas! Lisa!" Philipp said in a surprised tone.

 

"Is that your girlfriend?" Thomas asked as he gives a sly smile.

 

"No!" Philipp quickly answered.

 

"Yes!" said Mini Mini in unison with Philipp's 'no'.

 

"No!" said Philipp with an irritated tone as he pierces his eyes to Mini Mini. He then shifts his focus to Thomas and explains, trying to shift the spotlight. "As I was saying, I am bringing Mini Mini to learn about our culture. But why are you with Lisa?"

 

"We... bumped into each other few minutes ago. And since both of us are alone, we decided to walk together. You, on the other hand, are holding a girl's hand." said Thomas and he points his finger to Philipp's hand.

 

"I... was afraid that she will get lost in the market! You know, she's not familiar with this market!" said Philipp as he struggles to come out with a reason. Thomas gives Philipp a wink before walking away with Lisa. Philipp looks to Mini Mini with a displeased face and crosses his arms.

 

"Why on earth did you tell them that you're my girlfriend?" he asked.

 

"I thought you will look good if you have a girlfriend since he has one! I'm sorry!" Mini Mini explained with a sad puppy face.

 

"Oh, never mind." said Philipp and he sighs. The captain continues, "But I'm not letting go of your hand because I don't want to lose you again!"

 

"Yes, captain!" said Mini Mini as she gives Philipp a salute.

 

"And stop calling me captain!" he replied.

 

The two teenagers walk around the market and buy some snacks along the way. They try out some of the hats from a costume stall and fool around with different costumes. Mimi Mimi got herself a cute Santa costume and even bought Philipp an elf hat. She also managed to drag Philipp to take photos with her in a photo booth. At around 8 pm, they walk to the centre of the market to watch some live shows such as Christmas caroling and ice skating show.

 

Thomas and Lisa just walk around the market without buying anything. The two did not talk much as well. Thomas' eyes are glued to Lisa. He didn't bother to look at the busy surroundings and wonderful decorations. Lisa just browses around the stalls but didn't find anything she fancies. She then stops walking when she sees bright revolving horses moving around. It's a Carousel. Her face glows instantly. She quickly tugs Thomas' arm and says

 

"Look Thomas, a carousel!"

 

Thomas turns his face to the front and sees the carousel. He grins and heads to the carousel with Lisa. They choose to sit side by side, Lisa on a white horse and Thomas on a brown one. When the carousel starts spinning and spinning, Lisa's soul sinks into the ride and the carnival melody. Thomas holds on to the pole with both hands and stares at the beautiful young lady beside him, thinking about the medieval era where he's the prince and she's the princess.

 

"Mommy! That guy didn't want to give me the seat!" A kid shouted.

 

"Shame on you, a teenager bullying a 5-year-old kid!" A middle-aged woman scolded Thomas.

 

Thomas wakes up from daydreaming and realises the ride has already ended. It felt like he just ride on that wooden horse 2 seconds ago and now he has to get off. He apologises to the mother and kid before he gets out the carousel. Lisa is already standing there waiting for him. She giggles at Thomas as he approaches her.

 

"Are you up for another spin?" Lisa asked.

 

"Sure!" Thomas replied with a wide grin.

 

Benni points to the Ferris wheel and exclaims with joy. He says, "Let's ride the Ferris wheel."

 

"Uhm... let's play the shooting game over there instead." Mats replied.

 

"But I want to take the Ferris wheel first! Come on, the crowd will be long if we are late!" said Benni as he pulls Mats towards the Ferris wheel.

 

"I bet it's expensive!" said Mats.

 

"No, it's not. And besides, mom had given me extra money for it. Come on!" Benni said as he pulls Mats, but his beau just doesn't move a muscle.

 

"It looks so dangerous! People might fall out any minute!" said Mats.

 

"No, it's not! It's a brand new Ferris wheel and operates slowly. Even babies are riding it. How can it be dangerous?" Benni replied. He looks at Mats closely. The boy looks nervous and his face becomes pale. "Oh my god, are you afraid of heights?"

 

"No, I'm not!" Mats quickly replied.

 

"Mats?" Benni stared at him.

 

"Yes! You got me! I'm afraid of heights." Mats uttered.

 

"Aww... little Matsi is afraid of heights." Benni pats his head teased him. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. You'll be fine."

 

"Benni, I'm not riding that thing!" Mats said with a displeased tone.

 

"Do it for me, please? Just once." Benni begged to Mats.

 

"Okay, fine! This is the first and last time!" Mats said against his own will.

 

"Thank you bae." Benni whispered. The boys buy the tickets at the counter and get into one of the coaches. As soon as Mats gets into the Ferris wheel, he is starting to regret his own words. He tries to get out, but Benni grabs his arm, not allowing him to escape. He gulps and closes both eyes, not dare to look anything. His limbs are shaking vigorously.

 

"It's okay, Mats. Look at me." said Benni with a gentle tone as he takes his left hand to turn Mats' face. His right hand is still gripping Mats' hand, making sure his beau is feeling safe. Mats slowly open his eyes after being persuaded by his boyfriend. He sees a beautiful boy's face in front of him and his nerves have gone away. Benni presses his lips to Mats', slowly massaging it to calm down the boy.

 

Kira finishes her shopping early and wants to go home, but she still has 30 minutes to spare before Benni comes back. She stands at the street and waits for the time to pass. The Faces of happy people with their family, lovers and friends walk past her. The teenager looks at her watch and grumbles. The 30 minutes span seems to be like 3 hours now. A man who is standing few inches away from her feeds some cotton candy to his girlfriend. Kira feels uncomfortable standing beside the couple. The teenage girl takes out the nutcracker and stares at it.

 

"When can I tell you that I love you?" she said to the wooden nutcracker. She sighs heavily and puts back the nutcracker into her bag. She lifts her head up and sees some funfair games nearby. She walks forward and tries out one of the games. She begins to throw the balls to the bucket but misses them. As soon as she finishes her balls she purchases a new game. The more she misses, the more she became frustrated and each aim is further than the last one.

 

Suddenly, a tall and handsome teenage boy came and interrupts her. He has short blond hair and a built figure. The boy is probably from another school as Kira has never seen him before.

 

"You're doing it wrong. Here, let me try." the boy said. He just took the balls from Kira's hand without her permission and aims the smallest bucket. He throws the ball and it falls straight into the bucket. He takes another ball and throws it. It is in as well. Kira is too stunned to react. She just stood there like a stone.

 

"Congratulations! You won the grand prize!" said the vendor. He picks up a big light brown bear and gives it to the boy. The boy hands the bear to Kira with a smile.

 

"Take it. It's yours." he said with a smile and left Kira. Kira receives the bear from the boy. She clutches the bear with both hands and just watches the boy slowly walks away.

 

"Kira! Kira! Sorry, I am late."

 

Kira wakes up from daydreaming. She shrugs her shoulders when someone touches her. It was Benni. He looks at her with concern. "Are you okay, Kira?"

 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Erm... Let's go home." she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It's been two months since I update a new chapter for this fic. I'm very thankful to hear that there are people out there that still support this story. Thank you! But I'm so sorry that it took me so long to update as real life is very hectic right now. But I promise the next chapter won't be that long.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- our first Christmas  
> \- a new relationship is born


	22. The Christmas Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The teenagers spend their holidays with their friends and family.

_Benni: Kira, I'm sorry to disturb you again, but mom wants you to come on Christmas day for lunch._

_Kira: I expected that from your mom D:_

_Benni: I'm sorry for being so last minute, but you can say no if you don't want to._

_Kira: Nah, it's okay. I wanna avoid seeing my aunt anyway :D_

_Kira: Btw, what does your mom like to eat?_

_Benni: Blueberries. Why?_

_Kira: I'll bake a blueberry pie then ;)_

 

Mrs Höwedes has tried inviting Kira to her house for a couple of times previously, but Kira has been declining them by saying homework as an excuse. She figured that the date couldn't be avoided forever so she agrees to spend the Christmas Day at Benni's house. Maybe it would be a better choice than staying at her own house listening to her aunt boasting about her daughter's grades all day long. Or her American uncle that would stop talking about American football. She walks downstairs with a happy feeling and informs her mother about it.

 

"Mom, I'm going to Benni's house on Christmas Day for lunch." she said.

 

"Oh, that's great. We'll have enough food for Marco now." her mother replied with a warm smile.

 

"What?" her ears perked up when she heard Marco's name.

 

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Marco will be spending Christmas with us this year. Poor kid, his dad couldn't come home for Christmas." Mrs Götze replied.

 

 _Marco is going to spend Christmas in our house?_  Kira's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she just heard. She closes her eyes, clenches her fist into a ball and bites her lower lip, tries hard not to scream. She is kicking herself deep down inside for her stupidity of agreeing to Mrs Höwedes' lunch date before researching about Marco's availability. But now everything is too late. Benni has probably informed his mom about the lunch date by now. It would be a bad impression to skip the meeting in such a last minute. She just had to go along with the original plan.

 

***

 

Christmas is Kira's favourite holiday of the year. It's way better than Birthdays. She and Mario get to stay up late, eat whatever they like and be as loud as they can. During Christmas eve in Munich, the snow is falling in an adequate amount, just enough for the teens to play snowball fight at Philipp's front yard. Philipp's family has organised a Christmas party at their residence. The captain invited some friends to his house for some fun and games. The teens joke around, sing Christmas carols, decorate the Christmas tree and play mystery games. When it is time to open the presents, Kira gets a little excited and nervous at the same time. The thing about Christmas presents is unpredictable. You will never know whether you would like it or not until you open them. So far, she has gotten a stuffed toy from André, a storybook from Philipp, a T-shirt from Benni, a pouch from Thomas and a snow globe from Marco. When she opens her next present, she is fairly surprised.

 

"Mittens?"

 

"Yeah, so that you won't burn your hands again." Mario replied. Kira burnt her hand the other day when she was baking cookies for friends and family. She didn't expect anyone to remember that incident, but she is touched by her brother's actions. The brunette girl touches the soft fabric of the mittens and looks back to her brother, smiling.

 

"Somebody is missing here! Lukas and Bastian aren't here. See? I told you they have something going on." Thomas interrupted the crowd.

 

"So do Miro, Sami and Mesut. What are you trying to imply here?" Toni asked.

 

"Well, that's different. Miro is in Poland..." Thomas replied.

 

"Shh... Oh Thomas, stop your conspiracy theories for a day, will you?" said the annoyed Jérôme.

 

"Kiki, can you back me up here?" Thomas said as he switches his focus to Kira.

 

"I have trouble backing up someone that believes in Santa Claus." Kira replied.

 

"Oh, come on, Kira Götze! That was 2nd grade!" Thomas replied.

 

"I also have trouble backing up someone that went missing in the snowball fight. Where were you? We lost the game, Thomas Müller." Kira said as she gives a death stare to Thomas.

 

"I was... wrapping the presents." he replied sheepishly. Kira groans in response. She isn't impressed by Thomas' answer, but she does believe Thomas would do something like that. But it is actually a lie. Thomas has already wrapped the presents the night before. But the midfielder had something important to do. It's just that he doesn't want to tell anyone yet.

 

When everyone else was focusing on the snowball fight, Thomas pulled Lisa to a corner and confesses his love to her. He gave her a half-heart pendant, which he is wearing the other half himself. He was well prepared to be rejected, but surprisingly Lisa accepted him. She even kissed him on the cheek.

 

It is now Benni's turn to open his presents. So far, he gets a comic book from Julian, a beanie hat from Kira and a chocolate bar from Per. Mats hands a middle size present to Benni. The blonde look at Mats and says

 

"You don't have to get me anything, really."

 

But Mats insists Benni have it. Benni smiled to him and opens the wrapper. The blond takes out the present and it is a dark grey-blue hoodie. 

 

"Oh my god." he exclaimed. Mats looks at him with a worried expression, wondering if Benni hates the present. Benni turns his head to Mats and says, "Mats, open your present! Now!"

 

Mats is still worried about the hoodie that he gave to Benni, but he did as he was told. He unwrapped the present and realised Benni has chosen a hoodie for him too. And it is the same pattern and colour as the one he gave to Benni. His jaw drops as he sees the hoodie.

 

"Wow, talk about sharing the same mind." Marco smiled mischievously to Mats. "No wonder you insist on buying this hoodie."

 

***

 

"Kira! Kira! Come on, wake up you lazy bum! It's Christmas!" Mario said as he keeps on shaking his sister. He takes a bell from Kira's desk and begins to ring it. Kira is awakened by the bell and her brother's voice. And there's also another voice in the room. Kira, Mario and Marco had stayed up the whole night at the Götze home playing with their new stuff they got from their friends and family. Kira feels like she haven't slept for long and she isn't sure how Mario has the energy to shout and scream. As soon as she realises it's Christmas day, the 9th grader jumps out of the bed. She sees a sticky note sticking on her pencil stand with the wordings 'Blueberry pie for Mrs Höwedes'.

 

"Shoot! What time is it?" she asked her brother.

 

"It's 7.05am." he answered.

 

"Oh, thank god." Kira lets out a huge breath. She then screams when she realises Marco is in her room. She has forgotten that Marco is spending Christmas at their house. When the boys leave her room, Kira grunted. She covers her face with both hands as she is embarrassed by her own self. Marco has seen her in her pyjamas and messy hair. This is something that she didn't want him to see. The 9th grader grooms herself a little before going downstairs. She walks down to the kitchen to make herself and the boys hot chocolate in order to warm themselves. It is a chilly day. But it's also Christmas day, a day to celebrate. 

 

Kira gets to spend some time with Marco in the morning, but Mario always seems to be standing in between them and it frustrates her. By 10 am she left the boys alone and bake the blueberry pie that she promises Benni. Around the afternoon, Mr Götze sends her to Benni's house. Mrs Höwedes welcomes her with open arms.

 

Mrs Höwedes almost does all the talking at the dining table. Benni and Kira mostly nod and smile in response. Sometimes Kira just answers Mrs Höwedes' questions carefully, making sure that she doesn't make Benni's mom suspicious about their relationship. She feels tense during the whole lunch date as everyone seems to put their focus on her. When she sees Mr Höwedes grabs some chicken to his wife, Kira mimics his action by stabbing a fork to a piece of Christmas cake and places it on Benni's plate. Everyone at the table stops eating and looks at Kira.

 

"Kira, don't you know Benni doesn't eat Christmas cakes?" said Mrs Höwedes.

 

"Erm..." Kira stuttered, not knowing what to answer. She looks at Benni to get some help.

 

"It must be my silly boy that didn't want to let you down. That's why he never told you that." said Mrs Höwedes as she laughs it off. Kira and Benni fake a laugh and then look at each other with relieve. After the meal, Kira stayed for a while before saying goodbye to Benni's family. Mrs Höwedes stops her.

 

"Wait, I got something for you, dear." she said.

 

"It's okay, Mrs Höwedes. Ahaha... you don't have to..." Kira replied.

 

"Here. It's nothing much. To be honest, I was a bit sceptical when Benni told me about dating you. But it seems like you're a good girl. Maybe I've misjudged you. Or maybe Benni has put some good influence to you." Mrs Höwedes said with a warm smile as she hands a small gift to Kira. To be honest Mrs Höwedes has a valid reason to be sceptical. Kira isn't the cookie cutter straight A student that moms adore. She's that rebellious kid that skips class and cheat in exams. She is lucky that most of her acts weren't caught. The brunette girl isn't sure how much stories that Mrs Höwedes has heard, but she is very sure that what the parents heard is just a small fraction of her mischievous acts. Kira looks at the small gift and isn't sure how to reject it.

 

"I really can't have this, Mrs Höwedes." she answered.

 

"I insist." Mrs Höwedes replied.

 

Kira has no choice but to accept the gift and opens it as told by Mrs Höwedes. When she opens the box, she is dumbfounded to see a shiny silver watch. Kira isn't sure how much it costs, but it definitely isn't a cheap one. She tries to return the watch back to Mrs Höwedes, but the elder woman refuses to take back. Mrs Höwedes asks her son to send Kira back home. At the middle of the journey, Kira stops walking. She takes out the watch and gives it to Benni.

 

"Please take it back. I can't have this. Your mom is gonna nail me to a cross and burn me to death if she finds out the truth." Kira said to Benni.

 

Benni sighs heavily and replies, "I'm sorry to drag you into this mess, Kira."

 

"When will this end?" she asked.

 

"I don't know. I really don't know." he answered.

 

"Well, can you at least tell me why she hates Mats? I mean she could accept me. But why not Mats?" Kira said.

 

Benni sighs heavily and stays quiet for a while before he answers, "It's a long story. I'll tell you one day, okay?"

 

Kira groans to Benni's answer. She prays hard that this act will come to an end soon before she explodes. The blond pulls her into a hug to comfort her. 

 

 ***

 

"It's kind of peaceful today." Marco said as he watches the snow falling down through the window.

 

"I guess it's because Kira isn't here." Mario replied. Marco looks at him and both boys giggle to themselves. Mario turns his body and walks away after smiling to Marco. Mario walks to the hallway, having Marco follows him at the back. The younger boy stops at the hallway and flashes a wide smile. His boyfriend is puzzled by his action, not sure what to expect.  

 

"Look, a mistletoe!" Mario said while pointing to a mistletoe hanging on the ceiling of the hallway. Marco looks at the direction Mario is pointing. He then looks back at Mario in the eye and smiles happily. Mario continues to talk.

 

"I heard people say you have to kiss someone when you're under a mistletoe."

 

Mario feels giddy after saying that. All the butterflies in his tummy are dancing around. He takes a step forward and tip toe in order to reach Marco. He closes his eyes and he could feel Marco leaning forward as well. The younger boy bumps into his boyfriend's nose. Both boys pull themselves away and giggle about their own stupidity. When they stop laughing, Mario takes his second attempt. When he is almost reaching Marco's lips, he couldn't help to burst out the laughter. Marco is infected by his laugh and joins him. Mario couldn't stop laughing and his beau has to calm him down. The older boy caresses Mario's face and whispers nice little features of his boyfriend. He leans forward and plants his lips to Mario's. As soon as his lips contact to Marco's, Mario could feel a wonderful sensation going into his veins. So this is what a first kiss feels like. It's magical, wonderful and sweet.

 

It would be awesome if he could do this every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this took me way longer that I expected as I've planned and started this chapter way earlier. But finally it's here! I'm in a Christmas mood now and I'm so giddy! :D
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- A new year  
> \- Suspicions
> 
> Update:  
> I just woke up and heard about the terrorist attack at Paris. Thank goodness the boys are safe. Baghdad and Beirut also having a hard time. (Japan and Mexico are fine from the earthquake, thank god!) My prayers goes to everyone in the world. Be safe.


	23. Plot Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've added a little something at the end of last chapter that you might be interested ;)

"Oh my god! Benni, can you even breathe?" Kira asked as she reads Benni's timetable. After the little hiccup at Benni's house on Christmas day, Kira and Benni decided to memorise each others lifestyle to avoid another plot hole. They start with Benni's timetable. Benni's timetable is packed with activities throughout the week. Piano lessons on Mondays, football practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, private tuitions on Wednesdays and Fridays. Saturdays are mostly football matches with other schools. If there isn't a football match, Mrs Höwedes will arrange extra tuition lessons for Benni. Sundays are family days for the Höwedes family. Apart from practicing piano and doing homework, Mrs Höwedes would give extra homework or quiz to Benni herself. But ever since Benni has become Kira's 'boyfriend', Mrs Höwedes has cut down the extra homework and tuitions. Kira is utterly shocked when she found out Benni's schedule. She shakes her head and says, "Why do you even need tuition? You're a top student, for god sake!"

 

"I know!" Benni replied. "I told mom plenty of times, but she doesn't listen! That's why you have to take me out more often! And I hate my private tutor! She's mental!"

 

"After seeing this I'll definitely need to save you! Gosh, this is madness. You know what? I'm going to persuade your mom to let you attend the New Year's party." Kira said.

 

"Oh my god! Thank you, Kira! You're a life savior." Benni replied with a wide smile and hugs Kira.

 

***

 

The members of the football team are grabbing lunch after a tiring football match. The teenagers are chatting with their friends about the game. When Kira spots a vacant seat beside Marco, she quickly books the seat by placing her plate. She feels giddy and satisfied sitting next to her crush. As she settles down, a few pair of eyes is staring right on her. She feels anxious and asks André, who is sitting at the opposite. "Is there something on my face?"

 

Marco heard Kira's question, so he leans over to her and whispers "Are you guys fighting?"

 

Kira looks at her surroundings suspiciously and everyone else is either looking at her or Benni. Benni is sitting at the other end of the long table. She connects the dots and catches the point. She winces her eyes as soon as she realises her mistake. Holy crap. She was supposed to sit beside Benni, not Marco. She quickly exclaims to the crowd, "Yes we are! We are fighting!" 

 

The other boys are stunned by Kira's surprise statement. They stopped eating and their conversations to focus on Kira. Some of them whisper to their neighbours and while the others look at Benni in a judgemental way. Benni starts to feel panic. He looks at Mats for some guidance, but Mats shrugs his shoulders. The boyfriend couldn't help as he feels clueless himself too. Kira continues to talk while pointing her finger to Benni with a furious tone. "He was late for 2 minutes the other day. 2 minutes! Do you know how precious time is?"

 

Per nudges Benni with his arm, signaling the younger boy to head over and apologize with his facial expression. Benni quickly gets up from his seat and rush to Kira's. He says, "I'm sorry, Kira. I promise that I won't do it again."

 

Kira looks at Benni then glances to the side and realises everyone is still looking at them. She hints Benni to talk more. Benni fishes out a chocolate bar from his pocket and says, "I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"

 

Kira looks at the chocolate bar and then snatches it from Benni's hand. She quickly pulls Benni into a hug and says, "Okay, you're forgiven."

 

Everybody else cheers and clap their hands for the couple. Benni still feels nervous as he whispers to Kira, "Do you think they believed us?"

 

"I hope so." Kira replied.

 

Not exactly. Their little trick might have fooled the normal crowd, but not Thomas Müller, who always seems to be the troublemaker. The skinny boy narrows his eyes and gets up from his seat. He asks, "Benni isn't your boyfriend, isn't it?"

 

"Of course he is!" Kira quickly replied while trying to stay calm.

 

"Really? Then kiss him. If Benni's your boyfriend you should have no problems kissing him, right?" he dared her. Thomas has been sceptical about Kira's relationship since the beginning. He knows about Kira's crush on Marco and her relationship with Benni seem too polite for lovers. He also feels this relationship came out too sudden. On top of that, he never saw them kissing in public. Even seeing them holding hands is a rare event. Thomas tries to fish out the truth. Kira stumbled a little upon hearing that from Thomas. She starts to sweat, but she tries her best to keep calm.

 

"Thomas, stop fooling around!" Philipp said. 

 

"Thomas is right. I want to see them kiss too." Bastian chips in.

 

Benni looks around nervously trying to find an escape while Kira's palms are getting sweaty when the other boys start to chant. "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss..."

 

"Thomas, don't..." Benni tries to talk but then Kira stops him. She looks at Thomas in the eye and gives him a mischevious smile.

 

"So... You really want to see us kiss? Really? So badly? Well, guess what? The more you guys want to see, the more we are not going to let you see. We are going to keep it so secret that none of you get to see it." said Kira. She couldn't believe she just said that. Now she could only pray that reverse physiology would work. She glances to the other boys and she could sense that it is working. She then looks back to Thomas.

 

"Don't worry, I'll catch you one day." Thomas replied with a mischevious smile and wink.

 

***

 

Kira and Mario are banned from attending night parties since the last incident got them into a car crash. But that didn't stop them from pleading their mother to attend the New Year party in Munich International school. Mrs Götze resists at first but eventually allows them to attend this one because it is a school event. There is no alcohol in the party so Mrs Götze thinks it would be alright. But she makes sure that she's the one who drives this time so that the teenagers won't get into another car accident. As soon as the teenagers reached the school hall, Kira part ways with the boys Mario and Marco. She goes to Benni's direction and Mats joins them not long after that. Marco observes the older teenagers' action and contemplates.

 

"Marco, what are you looking at?" Mario asked as he waves his hands in front of his beau. Marco snaps from his thoughts and looks at Marco with an uneasy feeling.

 

"I just... find Benni and Kira's relationship a little weird." Marco replied.

 

"Why do you say so?" Mario asked.

 

"Well, do you notice that Mats is always with them?" Marco asked.

 

"Oh no! You mean a love triangle? That's messy." said Mario with a shock expression.

 

Marco sighs and shrugs his shoulders. Together with Mario, they join the other football boys at a corner to chat. Some came with their respective girlfriends. When they join the group, the other boys mainly Thomas and Bastian are busy teasing Philipp to no end.

 

"She's just a friend, okay?" Philipp said.

 

"Yeah right. Your friend works on a school project with you, watches your football practices, hangs around your house during Christmas and now is your date in the New Year party."

 

"Oh, you forgot the Christmas market." Mini Mini chirps in. 

 

Philipp gives a _thank you very much, you're so helpful_  smile to Mini Mini before shooting back Bastian. "She likes football, okay? And you know that project was arranged by the teacher, Bastian. And by the way, Thomas has a girlfriend too!"

 

"Too." said Bastian as he gives a raised eyebrow to Philipp.

 

"No, I mean... you should focus on the word Thomas." said Philipp. The captain was trying to divert the focus to Thomas, but it didn't work. He was in a panic mode when he blurted out the statement, but things just got from bad to worst.

 

"Well guess what, Fips? Lisa is my girlfriend." Thomas said with a wink. The younger boy pulls his girlfriend close to him. Philipp's jaw drops when he heard Thomas' statement. He would not imagine Thomas would say that. The other boys continue to tease the captain. Mini Mini is standing beside him anxiously. She wanted to say something to help, but she stays quiet as she fears that she might say something wrong again. 

 

While the other boys are busy, Kira, Benni and Mats leave the school unnoticed to Mats' house. That is the only option they have as it is too dangerous to wander around the streets at night. Mrs Hummels isn't pleased when they told her the whole story. She feels that it isn't right to lie about their relationship to Benni's mom. Sooner or later the boys need to tell the truth. But for now, she will keep the secret for them.

 

"Anyway, thank you for doing this. You are a great kid." said Mrs Hummels as she hands Kira a cup of hot chocolate. She notices something off about the teenage girl. The girl keeps checking her phone every 2 minutes throughout the night. Mrs Hummels narrows her eyebrows and couldn't resist asking the teenager. "Is there something bothering you, dear?"

 

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, Mrs Hummels." said Kira as she forces herself to smile. She gives another peek to her phone.

 

But her expressions has betrayed her. Mrs Hummels is right. There is something that has been bothering Kira the whole night. She is concern about Marco. Everyone knows what will happen in New Year parties. People will kiss their date when the clock strikes 12 am. Although Kira is sure that Marco doesn't have a date beforehand but he could get one at the party. There are questions popping up in her mind. _Will Marco kiss someone tonight? Or will he be kissed?_ The uncertainty is driving her nuts. The most annoying part is that she couldn't be there to stop it from happening.

 

She couldn't take it anymore and excuses herself from Mrs Hummels to make a phone call to Marco. She keeps on muttering to herself while waiting for Marco to answer. _Pick up, pick up, please pick up._

 

Marco notices his phone vibrating. He takes out and sees Kira's number. He isn't surprised by it as it isn't the first time Kira calls him. In the past, she often calls Marco if Mario didn't answer his phone. Marco assumes that she is looking for her baby brother as always. Mario, who is standing beside the taller boy puts his focus on him. 

 

"Mario, your sister is calling me. Did you not realise your phone ring?" Marco said.

 

"Really?" asked Mario as he narrows his eyebrows. He fishes out his phone, but there were no missed calls. He shows his phone to Marco and the both of them are puzzled.

 

"Whatever. Maybe she thought I'm you now." Marco jokingly said. He hands the phone to Mario. Mario chuckles to his boyfriend's joke as he accepts the phone.

 

"Hello? What's up, sis?" said Mario in a joyful tone.

 

"Mario? Oh... I'm... I'm just checking to see if you're alright. Is Marco with you?" she said.

 

"Yeah, of course. He's with me the whole night. This is his phone, by the way." Mario teases her. "No worries mommy, we're fine. We are not drinking or driving tonight."

 

Kira could hear Marco's laugh from the other side, laughing about Mario's mommy joke. When she realises Marco is with Mario the whole time, she feels relieved, knowing that Marco isn't going to kiss some random girl tonight. She says goodbye to her brother and goes back to the living room with a big smile on her face.

 

Around 11.50pm, Marco brings Mario out of the hall to a quiet lane where he knows that no one will pass by at this hour. Initially, he wanted to find a room, but all the other rooms are locked so he settles at a hallway. He looks at his watch and patiently waits for midnight. By the time strikes 11.59pm, he starts to countdown with Mario. 

 

"You know, we can go back if you want to." Monika said to her boyfriend while brushing his hand. She notices that Lukas has been glancing to Bastian every few seconds. It breaks her heart to see Lukas this way. She feels that Lukas deserves better than this. But sadly love doesn't work like this.

 

"It's okay, Monika. I'm alright." said Lukas as he forces a smile. He glances to Bastian once again. Everytime Bastian leans his head to Sarah, it feels like a knife stabbing into his heart. When the countdown starts, everyone stands beside their partners to wait for midnight.

 

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..." Everyone in the hall shouts the numbers. Although Lukas is standing in front of Monika, his eyes are staring to Bastian. And he could see that Bastian is looking back at him.

 

***

 

"Mario, I need to borrow your charger." said Kira from her room. She has yet again misplace her phone charger. She walks to Mario's room and knocks the door. Only then she remembered that Mario isn't back home yet. He is doing some charity work with the other boys at the orphanage until 5 pm. But Kira knows that Mario would let her use his phone charger anyway so she lets herself in. As she walks towards the desk, she notices a nicely folded Borrusia Dortmund scarf sitting on the bed. She picks up the scarf and sees a 'M' initial sew nicely on the scarf. 

 

And she starts to wonder...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow! 100 kudos! It's like a dream come true to me when I see that number. I'm really touched by every one of you that click the kudos button, comment on my stories, bookmark, subscribe or even telling me how much you love them through Tumblr. If I could, I would like to know you guys/girls because seriously, you are so wonderful. To return the favour, my promise to you is I will continue to write this story until the end (as long as I have the ability to write).
> 
> Just to let you know, this is actually a 2 1/2 years (their time) project and we just completed 1/2 year mark. It's still a long way to go, so I'm not sure if anyone will read until the end *laughs*.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Teenage love affair


	24. Teenage Love Affair

Sunny: You're so adorable today :)

Woodyinho: Stop it! You're the adorable one

Sunny: I miss you ❤

Woodyinho: I miss you too ❤

Sunny: Marco, I wanna tell Schü about us

Woodyinho: *typing*

 

***

 

"Schü, there's something we need to tell you. It's important." said Marco. His boyfriend Mario locks the door of the room and joins him for a private talk with André. Both Marco and Mario put on a serious face to André. André looks at the two boys with an uneasy feeling. For years, he has been friends with the two of them but there is never been a situation like this. He feels anxious and prays that nothing bad is happening. Marco and Mario just sit opposite him quietly. He gulps and utters, "Uhm... What's going on? Are you guys going to tell me that we're not going to hang out anymore?"

 

André has been feeling left out from his best friends for the past few weeks. Although Marco and Mario didn't say anything but André could feel the difference. He has been trying to act like nothing changed but it's not rocket science to figure out that Mario and Marco prefer to spend time without him. It hurts him if the boys tell him that he's no longer a part of their little secret club or they are too cool for him.

 

Marco narrows his eyes and look at his beau before looking back to André and starts to talk again. "No, it's not that. We are always going to be friends."

 

"Yeah, nothing is going to change that, I hope." Mario added.

 

The couple has been wondering how to break the news to their best friend. They have been worrying about André's reception regarding homosexuals. It could be a make or break in their friendship. André is important to the both of them as they have been best friends as long as they could remember. They love him as a friend and certainly didn't want to lose him because of this romance. But the young couple chooses to reveal their relationship to their close ones as they wanted some support from their friends and family. And André might be the best start since he is their best friend and they tell each other everything. Mario clears his throat and starts to talk. "Schü, what do you think about gay couples?" 

 

"What about them?" André asked.

 

"Well, do you hate them?" Mario asked.

 

"No. Why would I? People can do anything they like, right?" André replied.

 

Mario and Marco's face instantly filled with smiles after hearing that from their best friend. Marco grabs Mario's hand and lifts it up. "Schü, actually we want to tell you something. Mario and I are a couple now."

 

"What? Is this a prank? It's not funny, you know." said André as he is weird out by the boys. Although André has always teased about Mario and Marco being a couple, but he has never thought that it could become real one day. If fact, he has never thought any of them being gay either.

 

"No, it's real!" Mario quickly replied. He starts to feel anxious about the situation. His boyfriend squeezes his hand a little to keep him calm. André looks at the boys back and forth without saying anything. 

 

"Schü?" Marco tries to get André's attention. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yes? I guess." he replied.

 

***

 

Kira takes out the yellow and black scarf from her bag as soon as the first break begins. She rushes to Marco's classroom in hopes of giving back the scarf to him in person. She is certain that the scarf that she found in Mario's room belongs to Marco. There were only two Dortmund fans that she know of with the initial 'M' that frequently hang out at her house. It wouldn't be Mats since he mostly spends time in the living room or her room, so that leaves only Marco. Marco is the only one that spends time in Mario's room. When she reaches the classroom, she smiles brightly at Marco. The 9th grader approaches her crush with the scarf.

 

"Marco, uhm... You left this in our house the other day." she said as she hands the yellow and black scarf to Marco. The boy is stunned to see the scarf. He recognises the scarf. It is the one he gave to Mario few months ago. He is wondering why Kira is giving the scarf to him. He just stood there like a stone, trying to figure out how to explain the scarf actually belongs to Mario. When Mario approaches them shortly he is shocked to see the scarf too. The little boy spent the whole night tossing and turning his room to find his scarf but he couldn't find it. He didn't ask his family members about the scarf's whereabout because he had never told his family about the scarf. His father and sister are devoted Bayern fans and he isn't sure how they would react if they found out he supports Dortmund. The scarf is notmally hidden well and he never thought that his sister would take it from his room. 

 

"I haven't washed it! Marco lends me his scarf the other day because I didn't bring mine. I should wash it before giving it back." said Mario as he snatches the scarf from his sister. Kira looks at her brother as she is weird out by his actions. Both Marco and Mario give her awkward smile.

 

***

 

"Hey!"

 

Mats shouted after realising his face is smeared with watercolour. He was working on his art homework when his beau disturbs him. Benni giggles to Mats' dirty face and finds it funnier when Mats gets angry. Mats dips some watercolour with his brush and tries to get some revenge. Benni grabs Mats' hand to prevent himself from getting watercolour on his face. Mats tries to reach Benni's face but Benni keeps on dodging. Kira glances to the boys' direction from her bed. She is distracted by their voices and couldn't focus on her math homework. She also feels very awkward to be in the same room as the couple. She grunts by herself and grabs her books and stationery to the living room. The boys didn't even notice when she is leaving the room.

 

Marco walks to the kitchen to get a can of soft drink for himself and Mario. He notices Kira at the living room doing her homework alone. He is wondering why she is there instead of her room as her boyfriend is in her room with Mats. The blond has always suspected something about Kira's relationship with Benni since the beginning. But he couldn't put a finger on it. He has tried asking Mats and Benni in private, but neither of them willing to spill the beans. But he hasn't asked Kira about it. Maybe she would tell him. He goes over to her and try his luck.

 

"Kira, what exactly is your relationship with Benni? And why is Mats always here?" he asked.

 

"Benni is my boyfriend." she answered with the softest voice. She doesn't dare to look Marco in the eye. It pains to tell such a lie in front of her crush.

 

Marco narrows his eyes and stares at Kira, clearly not pleased with her answer. He could sense that it's a lie. He says, "Kira, you are sitting in the living room while your boyfriend is at your room with Mats. Can you tell me the truth?"

 

Kira turns her head to Marco. She just stared at the blond boy without saying anything for a minute. She doesn't want to keep the secret from Marco anymore. And besides, she is also out of excuses as to why Mats is always clinging around her house. Finally, she takes a deep breath and break it to Marco. "Well... Benni and I weren't exactly in a relationship. This whole thing is fake. Benni and Mats are the true pairing. But Benni's mom doesn't approve of their relationship, so they asked me to help them. But please please please keep it a secret, okay? I'm not allowed to tell anyone about it."

 

Marco is relieved to hear that from Kira. He is relieved to know that Mats is with Benni. He cracks a smile and looks at the girl with soft eyes. He replies, "Thank you, Kira, for telling me the truth."

 

But of course, Marco didn't really kept his promise. He tells it to Mario right after he sees the boy, just like everything else. Mario is extremely happy not only for Mats and Benni, but for another personal reason as well. He is glad to know that Kira supports gay couples. It is important to know that his sister will support his relationship.

 

"Marco, let's tell Kira about us!" Mario said.

 

"Uhm... Sunny, I don't think we should tell your sister yet." Marco replied.

 

"Why not? She always supports me in everything I do. And since she's so supportive of Mats and Benni, I'm sure she will support us." said Mario as he furrows his eyebrows.

 

Marco continues, "Well..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by Alicia Key's song Teenage Love Affair.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Kira found out about Sunny


	25. Sunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kira trying to figure out who Sunny is.

"Mario, I think your sister likes me." said Marco. He looks at Mario with a serious face, but Mario didn't take it seriously. The younger boy chuckles to his boyfriend's statement.

 

"Well, of course she likes you. Why would she hate you?" said the younger boy.

 

"No! I mean, she likes me as in she has a crush on me!" the older boy replied.

 

Mario's eyes widen and he gasps when he heard that from Marco. He stutters, "Wh-at? It-  it can't be true, right?"

 

"I tried to convince myself that it isn't true either. I have been noticing her actions lately and everything seems to proof the otherwise.  Your sister seems involves herself a lot in the football team, she insists us to play at your house, she looks at me with a really weird way, she calls me instead of you, she bakes a lot of cookies lately and she gave me your scarf when she could just easily pass it to you."

 

Mario is hoping that Kira's crush is nothing more than Marco's thoughts. But after listening to his beau's theories, it all seems to makes sense. Kira has been trying to involve herself with the boys more than she should. But all of these are still their assumptions and maybe there's a good explanation for her actions. Maybe.

 

It better be.

 

 ***

 

Kira heard a vibrating sound coming from the coffee table when she is enjoying her cup of mocha. She walks over to check out the source. The 9th grader is surprised to see Marco's phone on the coffee table as he has left the house an hour ago. The brunette girl looks around her surroundings and then takes a peek on the phone. It was a missed call from someone named 'Sunny'.

 

"Sunny? Who is Sunny?" she said to herself. Kira has never heard of someone named Sunny among their mutual friends. But it could be someone that she doesn't know. Would it be Marco's classmate? Or a relative? She tries to persuade herself that the call was just from a friend. But there is a heart emoji beside the name so this Sunny definitely isn't just a friend. She stands still with the phone on her hand while contemplates. When Mario walks past the room, she wakes up from her thoughts. Yes, Mario. Mario should know who Sunny is. He must have known it since he is Marco's best buddy.

 

"Mario! Mario! Do you know who is Sunny? There is a mysterious person called Sunny that keeps calling and messaging Marco." said Kira.

 

Mario stops messaging his boyfriend. His eyes widen when he heard Kira mentions Sunny. Kira shows him Marco's phone. No wonder Marco hasn't replied to his messages for the past hour. Sunny is his nickname that only Marco calls in private. André is the only one that knows the nickname apart from themselves. Mario is worried that his sister will read those messages. The little boy has been sending a lot of heart emojis to his boyfriend for the past hour. If his sister does have a crush on Marco, she will go crazy when she finds out the truth. He tries to fish out some information from his sister. "Uhm... Why are you so interested in Marco?"

 

"Well, don't you feel curious about it? He's your best friend but never mentions about this Sunny before. And she keeps messaging him, like it's something important. What if this Sunny is a bad person? Wait! Is this Sunny a girl or a boy? Maybe it's a boy! Maybe that's why he didn't want anyone to know. Oh my god! Mario, you need to find out for me!" said Kira.

 

"Kira... um... Leave Marco alone!" Mario raised his voice to his sister. Kira is stunned by her little brother. Mario has never talked to her in such a manner. She looks confused as to why her brother behaves like that. But one thing is for certain. There's definitely something that Mario knows about Sunny that he didn't want to tell her. She then cringes her eyebrows at her brother, wondering what he is hidding from her. The fact that her brother keeps it secret makes her more curious about Sunny. It's true that she doesn't have the right to barge into Marco's life. But she wanted to know about Sunny badly. She has to come out with something to lure his brother to talk.

 

"Mario, you need to help me cause... I like Marco." she said with big puppy eyes. She figured that it's probably the best bet she could get for Mario to help her. Mario is her only sibling after all. She thought that telling him about her crush to Marco will only benefit her. She tugs Mario's arm, begging for her brother to help her. "Help me! Please? I'm your only sister."

 

Mario gasps and stumbles a little upon hearing his sister's confession. Marco was right. Kira does have a crush on him. The young boy feels guilty of hiding the truth from his sister. And when she mentioned 'only sister', it makes Mario even more guilty. He didn't expect Kira would actually say something like that. He feels a lump on his throat while Kira keeps pressuring him.

 

Kira keeps pressuring Mario until the doorbell sound interrupts their conversation. Kira walks to the door and opens it. It is André at the door. He came to look for Marco, not knowing that the boy has left the house. Kira uses the opportunity to ask him about Sunny.

 

"André, do you know who is Sunny?"

 

"Sunny? Sunny is-" he answered.

 

"Marco's friend!" Mario exclaimed. It interrupted André's sentence. 

 

"Excuse me, I was asking André." Kira glared at her brother. 

 

André is puzzled by Mario. He glances at his buddy. Though his buddy's expression and answer André could sense that Mario doesn't want Kira to know that he's Sunny. He continues to talk. "Sunny is Marco's friend."

 

"Friend? Just a friend?" Kira asked.

 

"Yeah... Friend." André confirms her.

 

Kira narrows her eyes to André. She clearly isn't happy with André's answer because she is pretty sure than Sunny is more than a friend. But she couldn't dwell it on André further, so she pretends to believe his answer.

 

The boys look at each other with a worried expression. They have to come up with something as soon as possible. Mario takes Marco's phone and goes to Marco's house with André. When Marco opens the door, he could sense that something bad has happened. The three boys gather at Marco's room to discuss the matter. 

 

"Marco, we have a big problem. My sister just told me that she likes you." Mario said.

 

The three boys remain silent in the room, trying to come out with a solution. Finally, André breaks the silence. "Mario, you need to tell your sister the truth as soon as possible. I know it's going to be hurt, but she needs to know the truth. The longer you wait, the longer she will get hurt."

 

"Maybe there's a better way." Marco said.

 

"There's no better way. If she finds out on her own, or worse, hears from someone else, she'll never forgive the two of you." André said.

 

"Can we at least wait after Valentines Day?" Marco said.

 

André shakes his head. Marco and Mario looks at each other with an uneasy felling. Marco grabs Mario's hand to comfort him.

 

Since Kira didn't get anything from her brother, she does her own investigation at the next couple of days. She spends her breaks spying on Marco, watching every single move he makes and paying extra attention to the people he speaks to. But so far the people that Mario talks to are his usual friends. And through their body language they look perfectly fine. None of the girls he speaks to tries to flirt with him. Most of the time Marco spends his time with Mario. In fact, the only person he has physical contact is with Mario. Kira grunts and leans her head to the wall. She still haven't found out who Sunny is. She tried pressuring Mario about it, but Mario keeps avoid her.

 

The 9th grader analyses the possibilities through names. Will it be a nickname from someone called Sundeep? Or Suria? Sunita? Or is it Santana? Or maybe it isn't derived from the name.

 

It's gonna be a long investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of have some troubles when writing this chapter. Hopefully there's no plot holes.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Valentines Day


	26. Valentines Day

"Hey Kira! Now that you're Benni's girlfriend, can you hook me up with Mats?" said Jackie. She tugs Kira's arm while they are walking on the street. Kira stares at her friend Jackie after hearing the question. She utters,

 

"Jackie, I don't think-"

 

"Oh come on! Don't be so selfish! Don't you want to see me happy as well? And besides, double dates would be fun!" Jackie cuts Kira off and let go her arm. She isn't pleased to hear that from her friend.

 

"Double dates? I hear double dates! I wanna join!" Mini Mini chirps in the conversation.

 

"No no no! No double dates or triple dates! No!" Kira replied with a stern voice. She closes her eyes and lets out a huge breath. She wonders what will happen when her friend finds out about Mats and Benni's relationship. Jackie crosses her arms and pouts. She stops talking to Kira as the girls continue to walk along the streets. 

 

"Look! Music boxes!" Mini Mini exclaimed as she points to the gift shop. Kira and Jackie look at the said direction.

 

"Wow!" all the girls said simultaneously. They gaze at the music boxes behind the glass window of a gift shop with awe. There are a few modern looking wooden music boxes with figurines circling on the box. They come in various patterns like ballerina, cycling bear, carousel, train, car, etc. The music boxes are perfectly hand crafted, every single component are crafted in detail. The little figurines on the box are dancing via magnet, making it look like they are moving by themselves. The classical music from the box is very soothing to listen, making the girls feel calm and comfort. Mini Mini cuddles Kira's arm and leans her head on the 9th grader's shoulder. Kira is mesmerised by the music and the design of the music boxes. But when she looks at the price, she gasps.

 

"What?! 45 Euros?" she exclaimed. "That's insane!"

 

"That's not really our concern. You don't buy music boxes yourself. Somebody buys it for you." Jackie said.

 

"Who would buy them?" Kira asked.

 

"A lover of course! Music box is a symbol of love. When you open the music box it's like you open your heart to your lover. You express your love to your one and only one." Mini Mini replied.

 

"Music boxes are so romantic! Oh my god, I wish somebody would buy me one!" Jackie said.

 

Lover. That word sounds so far fetch for Kira right now. The brunette girl is currently stuck in a fake relationship and doesn't know when it will end. She looks at the music box once again and sighs before leaving with the girls.

 

***

 

"Hey Kiki! Valentine's day is coming soon. What do you think Lisa would like?" Thomas asked.

 

"Music box." Kira replied in a nonchalant tone.

 

"Music box?" he asked. "Why? What's so special about them?"

 

"Yeah. Music box. It represents love. You open to your lover... Something like that." Kira answered. Her mind wanders to the music box she saw the other day with the girls. 

 

"Where can I get one? Come on, let's go and buy one now!" said Thomas. He shakes his friend and drags her to the streets. When the teenagers reach the gift shop, Kira is charmed by the music boxes once again. Her eyes are glued to the music boxes and the only sounds that she could hear are the music from those wooden boxes. Thomas is yapping beside her but she doesn't bother about it. 

 

***

 

Valentines Day is finally here and every girl in school is anticipating this day except Kira. She isn't expect to receive anything at all. Marco probably wouldn't give her anything because she's still Benni's girlfriend in the public's eye. And Benni probably won't remember her at all. She probably won't get any presents from other people since everyone knows she is Benni's girlfriend. When she enters the classroom, she sees a group of girls are circling around Jackie's table. She slides between the crowd and she could see a big bouquet of red roses on Jackie's table. It doesn't have any name written on the card. The other girls are gushing about the flowers, trying to guess who the sender is.

 

When Thomas arrives the classroon he goes to Lisa's place and gives her a present. The other girls are whispering to each other, trying to guess what the present is. Lisa unwraps the present and takes out the content. She smiles brightly to her boyfriend. 

 

"Oh my god! It's the music box!" One of the girls exclaimed. The other girls in the classroom flock to Lisa's table and gush about the carousel themed music music box. Kira glances to Lisa's table.

 

"Yeah it is the ones that are handmade and the dolls move by themselves!" another girl said. Lisa winds the music box and the little horses start to move. Kira's view is blocked by the other girls but she could hear the music that is transmitted from the music box. It is the music box from the gift shop.

 

While the other classmates are busy gushing about Lisa's music box, Thomas walks to Kira's table. He gives her sly look. Kira has an uneasy feeling about this. He asks, "What did Benni gave you for Valentine?"

 

That is the 5th time someone has asked her the same question today. Right now she is thinking how dumb she is for not buying herself a valentine gift beforehand. She's pretty sure that Benni wouldn't buy her one, as his mind is only on his true valentine Mats. Looking at the other girls that receive flowers and chocolates, she feels awkward and deflated for not receiving anything. Everytime when a person asks her about Benni, she just gives them an awkward smile. Well, she did receive a bag of sweets from Mini Mini, but the 11th grader gave it to everyone she knows so that doesn't count.

 

"Secret. It's a secret." Kira replied. She hopes that Thomas isn't able to detect the lie. Thomas is pressuring her for the truth, and Kira knows that very well. She doesn't know how long she could keep up with this act, but she has to try her best.

 

"Yeah, of course it is. But I'll find out very soon." he gives her a wink and walks away.

 

As the day goes by, more and more girls receive presents from their boyfriends or secret admirers. Kira tries to ignore them but it is hard when everybody else are talking out loud. When it reaches the end of the school day, she can't wait to go home. As she is packing her stuff, she could hear a familiar voice.

 

"Ahem! Excuse me, I'm looking for my girlfriend."

 

All the girls look at the same direction. A handsome blond boy with perfect gelled hair and a cool dark blue shirt standing at the door posing with a red rose. Kira tilts her head, looking confused at the boy.

 

The boy walks straight to Kira and smiles widely to her. He hands the red rose to her. Kira looks at the rose and then to the boy. She gulps as she looks at the handsome boy. The boy says, "For the most beautiful girl in the world."

 

"Benni?" she uttered when she receives the flower. She couldn't believe what is happening right now.

 

Benni stretches out his hand gives Kira a wink. Kira holds his hand. She looks around and realises she is now the spotlight of the class. Benni smiles to the crowd and says "I'm sorry girls, I need to bring my girlfriend for a date."

 

Benni takes Kira out from the classroom. He holds on to Kira's hand until he found a corner. He looks around the surrounding to make sure nobody is nearby the area.

 

"Thank you. I owe you one. I know it's not real but it means a lot to me." Kira said, giving Benni a warm smile.

 

Benni lets out a huge breath and replies, "I feel like I owe you more."

 

She twists the red rose back and forth, making the flower spins around. "You got this from Mats' fans, right?"

 

"No, no, I bought it. I bought it for you. To thank you, for all the things you did for us." Benni said.

 

She chuckles and continues, "I'm just kidding. Anyway, I saw some Ferrero Rocher from his pile of presents. Can you steal some for me?"

 

"Okay." Benni replied with a smile. He sends Kira home and heads to the park.

 

The blond boy smiles widely when he spots his boyfriend at the usual place at the park. Not many people knows about this park and it is just perfect for the couple. When he approaches Mats, he could sense that the boy isn't happy.

 

"What happened, Mats?" he asked.

 

Mats looks at Benni and tries to smile, "Nothing, Benni."

 

"Mats..." said Benni as he looks at his boyfriend with concern.

 

"Don't let anthing ruin the day, okay? It's Valentines Day and you deserve a happy day." said Mats as he caress Benni's face and brushes his nose with his own.

 

***

 

Marco received a good amount of gifts today from his admirers. But there is one unsual letter. The envelope is white coloured and it has his name printed on it. He hasn't open the letter yet but the boy has an eneasy feeling about it. When he reaches his room, he decides to open it. When he takes out the letter from the envelope, he freaks out and throws the letter away.

 

_I'm going to kill you!_

 

Those are the words written on the letter with dark red colour font. The texture looks like blood. It also has a few red colour smear on the paper. Marco hears a door opening sound. He quickly crumbles the paper and hides it behind himself. It is his boyfriend Mario walking into his room. He saw Marco's action.

 

"What is that?" Mario asked.

 

"Nothing." Marco replied nervously. He is having cold sweats and his legs are shaking but Mario probably doesn't notice it.

 

"I can see you hidding something behind." said Mario. He tries to grab the item but Macro keep dodging him.

 

"Mario, please, don't." the older boy said.

 

"Let me see! I want to see it!" said Mario. He continues to catch the thing that his boyfriend is hidding from.

 

"Mario, please." Marco begged him. He is stuggling to keep the letter from Mario. But this time Mario stops.

 

"Oh. I get it. It's a surprise, right? I'll pretend I didn't saw it." He winks to his boyfriend and slowly leaves the room. Marco collapses to the ground as soon as his boyfriend closes the door. He is distress by the letter. Who would write such a letter? Why does anyone wants to write something like that? And what has Marco done to trigger hate from the sender?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if this type of music box are sold in western countries. The music box that inspired me to write this is actually made in Taiwan. If you google search them you could probably see it.
> 
> Omg... I accidentially click post. It wasn't meant to be out so early... but anyway, an early Happy New Year from me!
> 
> But I'm going to give an early reminder that I won't able to write as I want this month :(
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- she's crazy  
> "Kira, whatever obssesion you have for Marco has got to stop! It's not healthy!"


	27. She's Crazy

Marco has screw up. Really bad. 

 

He has screw up plenty times in life, but this one probably tops the chart. He just sent a text message that he intended to send Mario to somebody else. But if it's just anybody else, they would have laugh it off or reply with the same message. They wouldn't have take it seriously. But of all people in his phone book, he has sent the message to Kira. The moment he realises the mistake he literary falls down from his bed. He just prays hard that she hasn't read it. He immediately calls Mario to tell him about the situation, hopefully his boyfriend is able to delete the message before Kira reads it. Even just stalling her is good enough at this point. 

 

"I think she hasn't read it. She's cooking at the kitchen right now." Mario said to him via phone. Mario peaks through the living room and checks on Kira. She looks quite content so Mario believes that she hasn't read the message. Fortunately Kira is busy washing vegetables right now, and that means they have a chance to delete that message before she finds out. But first, Mario needs to find her phone. Knowing his sister, she tends to put her stuff all over the place so searching the phone itself is already a challenge. The easiest way to find it is to call her phone number, but Mario couldn't do that as that will alerts his sister. 

 

Mario starts to search the living room high and low, including hidden spots like the under the sofa and drawers but there is no luck. The longer the time spent, the more frantic he is about the situation. He starts to analyse where would his sister put her phone. But he couldn't get a conclusion because the reality is, it could be anywhere. She has left it on the sofa before, the table, kitchen cabinet, bathroom... It could be anywhere. This will be a long treasure hunt game that he wouldn't want to get involve.. Mario just hope it isn't in the kitchen right now because it would be hard to steal without being noticed. Time is ticking fast and he has to get the phone before Kira finish cooking. Marco on the other hand doesn't waste any time either. He sprints to the Götze house after hanging up the phone. When he reaches Mario's house, Mario opens the door for him. 

 

"Have you found it?" Marco asked.

 

"Not yet." Mario answered quietly.

 

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" 

 

Weird noises interrupted Mario and Marco's conversation. The boys could hear loud sounds coming from the kitchen. They look at each other with a clueless expression, wondering what Kira is doing. Both of them peek through the living room and they could see Kira chopping a piece of meat using a giant Chinese knife. She chops the meat with slow and heavy force it intimidates the boys especially Marco. The taller boy gulps and then looks at his boyfriend.

 

"What's with that gigantic knife?" he whispered.

 

"Beats me. All I'm concern right now is the phone. Where the hell did she put it?" Mario said.

 

"Have you checked her room yet? Well, sometimes the obvious places are the most unexpected ones." Marco replied.

 

Mario shakes his head and the boys proceed to Kira's room to continue the phone search. Fortunately, they don't need much searching as the phone is on the bed. But the phone is locked with a pin number. Mario quickly grabs the phone and runs to his room with his boyfriend. He locks his room and together with Marco, they try to unlock the pin number, which is the 2nd hurdle. Mario starts with the common numbers which people might use in pin numbers. Birthdays. He keys in his sister's birthday but it turns out to be incorrect. He also tired with Merlin's birthday but that doesn't work as well. Even her id number doesn't work. He lets out a huge breath and stares and the phone. There are 2 attempts left and it makes him nervous. What would the pin number be? Would it be the most basic numbers 12345?

 

Marco snatches the phone out of the blue from Mario and taps a few numbers. Mario gasps and gets into panic mode. He exclaims, "Wait! Marco, what are you doing?"

 

"I'm trying with my birthday." Marco replied with a nonchalant tone. He already press the 'ok' button before Mario had the chance to stop him.

 

"Macro, this is my sister's phone! It's not your phone!" Mario said while slamming his hand to his forehead. His stupid boyfriend has just wasted a chance by keying his own password and they are left with just 1 more attempt. The young boy is worried about his sister's phone being locked and that will create more problems.

 

"Oh." Marco replied. The welcome ringtone comes out and the phone screen has changed to the menu screen. He shows the phone to Mario.

 

"What a weird coincidence." Mario replied as he narrows his eyebrows. He takes the phone from Marco as he is more familiar with an Android phone. He clicks into the message and deletes it. Marco drops his head to Mario's shoulder and gives a sigh of relief.

 

"Thank god." Marco said.

 

"Wait, she took a really ugly photo of me last week. I need to delete it before she uses it to blackmail me." Mario said. He wants to click the photo gallery icon but he accidentally clicks the document folder which is sitting beside the gallery. In the folder there are a few written documents. All the headings look familiar to him, as if he has read them somewhere. He clicks one of them and it is the same one he read from that mysterious blog about a footballer. Although the blog has been deleted for a long time, Mario has a copy of the posts from that blog. He still remembers the contents vividly because he felt that the blogger is describing Marco. And it turns out to be correct. It is about Marco. But he has never thought that his sister is the one who writes it. He glances to his boyfriend, who still remains content. Mario wonders if it is a good thing if Marco doesn't realise it. He taps back to the menu and taps into the photo gallery.

 

To the boys' surprise, Kira's photo gallery has quite a number of Marco's photo. The photos are mostly taken while Marco playing football while Marco himself isn't noticing. Mario feels uncomfortable with the situation and although Marco doesn't say anything, he could sense that his boyfriend probably feels the same too. He scrolls down a bit, found the ugly photo and deletes it. Marco feels awkward and decides to leave the room. And when he goes downstairs, he glances to the kitchen and Kira is mincing some meat. She is mincing them in a rather slow pace. Every time the knife cuts the meat, Marco could feel his spine shivers. Kira stops mincing when she realises someone is looking at her. She turns her head and spots Marco standing at the stairs.

 

"Marco?" said the surprised Kira.

 

"Kira. I was... just... passing by. Bye... bye..." Marco stuttered. He quickly runs to the door and leaves the house before Kira could say anything. Kira is left with a clueless look.

 

She lets out a sigh and continues to mince the meat. She looks at the time and realises it is already 7.15pm. She picks up her pace and accidentally cut her middle finger. The young girl exclaims from the pain. She looks at the wound and it is a really deep cut. She winces and bites her lip while washing the wound at the kitchen sink. A tear or two come out from her eyes. Mario heard her cry and quickly runs to check on her. He takes out the first aid kit from one of the drawers and treats his sister's wound.

 

"Oh no, I wanted to make stir fried today." said Kira. She looks at the incomplete dish that she was trying to create as she wipes her tears with her hand.

 

"It's okay, Kira." Mario replied. "We'll call the delivery, okay?"

 

Kira just nods to him in reply.

 

***

 

"Kira, I'm sorry but you need to rewrite it this." said Philipp. He hands Kira's article back to her. It is the article that she sent to Philipp yesterday.

 

"What's wrong with it? I've went through a spell check and it should be fine." Kira replied. She picks up the paper and goes through the article. But no matter how hard she tries, she couldn't find any grammatical or spelling errors in it.

 

"What's wrong? Everything's wrong. Almost the whole article is about Marco and he just played like 10 minutes. Kira, you need to stop whatever obsession you have on Marco. This isn't healthy. Cause you already have a boyfriend." Philipp said.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know Benni is my boyfriend. You don't have to remind me that." Kira replied with a grumpy tone. She isn't pleased to know that Philipp has found out about her crush on Marco.

 

"Is it? He's been playing extremely well in the last two games and you didn't even write a single sentence about him. This is not even the first time you're fawning about Marco in your articles. Every time I had to edit them so it doesn't look too bias. But this is getting serious so I had to tell you. And I'm worried about you. Are you okay?"

 

Kira lowers her head and keeps quiet for a while. She plays around with her fingers and she doesn't dare to look at her friend in the eye. At last she utters, "Is it that obvious?"

 

Philipp sighs and nods to her. "Yes, it is."

 

***

 

Moms always forbid their kids to play balls in the house. There is a reason why balls are outdoor games and should be remained as one. But boys are boys and they never listen to their parents. Especially boys like Marco, Mario and André who think their football skills are good enough to avoid breaking stuff in the house. So far they haven't break anything major. But today the boys have learned a valuable lesson after Marco's ball hits the coffee table. The wooden coffee table isn't damaged but the it couldn't be said the same for the art project on the coffee table. Kira has been working on that project for a few days and she wouldn't be happy to find out a dented cardboard house.

 

"Uh oh! Kira is going to kill you!" Mario said. Mario and André start to laugh at Marco. But Marco doesn't think it's funny at all. Kill. Kill is a strong word. It reminds him of the death threat note that he received 2 days ago and having the thought frightens him.

 

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" he shouted to his friends. Mario and André's happy faces inmediately turn into a frown. They look at each other and wonder why Marco has suddenly become so serious. Marco tries to save the cardboard house and it ended up getting worse. Parts of the house starts to fall apart and it makes him anxious.

 

"Oh. My. God. Who did it?"

 

The boys heard a female voice and they turn their heads to the source. They see a scowling Kira with her hand on her hip. She looks like she's ready to eat a person. The boys are petrified by her stare.

 

"Marco!"

 

"The dog!"

 

"I did."

 

Kira isn't impressed when she heard 3 different answers from the boys. She asks the boys the same question again and none of the boys answer this time. Kira continues to glare at them until Marco finally confesses.

 

He starts to apologize to her and begs for forgiveness. He offers to help her repair the house but Kira tells him that it's alright. He still continues to beg by grabbing Kira's hand. Kira exclaims and pulls her hand out from his. Marco stumbles when he notices Kira's finger is covered with bandage. When André asks her about the wound, she says it was a knife cut from preparing a meal. Marco however, is thinks she is lying. He looks at Kira's finger and he could see blood stains on the bandage.

 

Blood. Death threat letter. Random pictures of him. Stalking. Finger wound. All these are coming together now. 

 

Kira isn't in love with him. She's just crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, to be honest I'm not sure what I wrote :D
> 
> Next chapter:  
> "I swear I saw you you before."
> 
> "Nah, I don't think so."


	28. Familiar Stranger

"Aww... You're so sweet. I'm sure Mario would love it. You know what? Why don't you hang around at our house this evening? I'm sure you and Mario will have a good time." Kira said as she accepts the bag of candies from Ann. This isn't the first time Ann gives presents for Mario. Ann always gives presents to Mario, and they are very thoughtful presents. Even the bag of candies today it is wrapped with transparent colour paper and tied with a nice red ribbon. It also has a rose made with colour paper and a note attached to it. Judging by the situation, it seems like the girl has feelings for Mario, and it triggers Kira an idea. Maybe she could be a matchmaker for her brother. If her brother has a girlfriend he wouldn't have time hanging around with Marco. And Ann seems like a sweet girl so it would be one stone hitting two birds. In this situation, it would be four birds.

 

When Ann arrives her house Kira is more than happy to host the younger girl. Her brother Mario isn't informed of this meeting. Kira just basically told him to stay home for "something important". He doesn't know what his sister is up to and he certainly has no idea what the "something important" is. He just finds it weird that Ann is in their house. He only spoke to the girl a few times in school and she isn't even close to Kira.

 

The three of them sit in the living room and have simple conversations. Sometimes Kira would secretly smile in the middle of the conversation. At one point Mario notices it and couldn't help thinking what her sister is planning. When Ann reaches for a cup of coffee, Kira notices her right index finger is covered with a bandage.

 

"Did you hurt yourself?" Kira asked her while pointing to the cheerleader's finger.

 

"Oh, yeah. I cut myself when I was preparing dinner the other day." she replied. 

 

"Oh my god, same!" Kira exclaimed. She showed the younger girl her wound. Kira's wound is her right middle finger. It seems like Ann cooks too. Kira is excited to know that as Ann would be the perfect girlfriend material. She turns her head to Mario and gives him a light punch. She hints her brother to make a move but Mario doesn't really know what Kira meant. He just looks at Kira in confusion. His sister is acting weird the whole evening. Kira excuses herself from the living room to give some bonding time for Mario and Ann. Mario quickly excuses himself too and follows her to the kitchen. 

 

"Kira, what are you doing?" Mario whispered to Kira.

 

"Getting you a girlfriend. Look at her! She's so pretty and you're handsome. You two will look cute together. And maybe you'll beat the Bastian and Sarah as the IT couple." Kira replied with a grin.

 

"Kira, I don't want a girlfriend." he said.

 

"Why not?" she asked.

 

"I have a boyfriend." Mario said. Despite Marco has told him a thousand times not to tell Kira until the perfect time comes, he couldn't keep the secret anymore. He wants his sister to know about his relationship right now.

 

"What?" she asked. Kira couldn't hear what Mario just said. The combination sounds of barking and screaming from the living room are too loud. Plus Mario isn't talking loud enough anyway. She could hear her dog Merlin's barking sounds. It seems like Merlin has came back from its walk with Thomas and Lisa. She grunts and walks back to the living room and settle the drama. She sees Merlin barking mercilessly at Ann. The German Shepherd grits it's teeth and growl towards Ann, it looks like it wants to eat her alive. It is clearly not welcoming the young girl. Thomas, who just had a walk Merlin, tries hard to control the dog. But Merlin is too strong for him to handle. 

 

"Merlin! No!" Kira commanded. "Merlin, stop it! Merlin!"

 

But Merlin ignores Kira's demand and continues to bark at Ann. Merlin isn't fond with strangers in the house, but usually it listens to Kira's commands and stops after Kira told it to. Today seems to be a different story. Kira tries to control her pet dog but it isn't going well. Ann knows the dog isn't happy with her presence so she excuses herself from the house. After Ann has left the house, Kira sighs heavily and stares at her German Shepherd.

 

"Stupid dog. She's going to be Mario's girlfriend. Why do you have to ruin it?" she whispered to her dog.

 

***

 

There are piano sounds of 'Für Elise' coming from the piano room. It seems like the mysterious pianist has returned. Philipp tip toe his way to the piano room. The captain looks left and right, making sure he isn't being disturbed again. He peeks through the glass from the door and sees a familiar face. He opens the door.

 

"Ha, it's you! You're that mysterious pianist!" Philipp exclaimed when he sees Mini Mini playing the piano. Mini Mini is shocked by Philipp. She immediately stops playing and gets up.

 

"No, I was just passing by. I didn't play it." said Mini Mini as she tries to defend herself.

 

"I saw you playing it." Philipp said.

 

"I was just... dusting it. Look! It's dirty!" Mini Mini replied. She uses her sleeve to rub the piano's surface.

 

"Then who played it?" Philipp asked, raising his eyebrow.

 

"No one. I didn't hear anything. You... you must be hearing things." she stuttered.

 

"Are you telling me that there is a ghost at a bright sunny afternoon?" Philipp asked. He isn't on board with Mini Mini's lie.

 

"Maybe. Maybe it's a Korean ghost. They are different from western ghost, you know." Mini Mini tries to convince him.

 

Philipp crosses his hands after hearing all the bullshits from her. He asks, "Really? What was the song?"

 

"Für Elise!" Mini Mini replies quickly. She then squeals when she realises that is a trick question. Philipp gives a lopsided smile to her. 

 

"Why don't you want people to know you play? And why do you always play halfway?" Philipp continues.

 

"Well, I'm afraid that I will get caught cause I'm not sure if I'm allowed to play. But I can't help it when I see a piano. I miss my piano and there's no piano at my foster parents' house." she answered.

 

"And you think that nobody will find out? Piano has sounds, my dear." Philipp replied.

 

"Aren't the walls sound proofed?" Mini Mini asked. She looks around the piano room.

 

"Not really. But actually you can play anytime you want. The school piano is for everyone. Although I think you need to book in advance but if no one is using it you're free to use it." Philipp explained. He smiles to her and continues, "Now would you play Für Elise again?

 

Mini Mini grins and nods to Philipp, then starts to play the piano.

 

***

 

It is Benni's birthday and the football team decides to throw a party for him at Per's father café. Since Benni is a leap year baby, they celebrate it a day after because celebrating earlier will bring bad luck. Mats has called Benni last night and countdown the latter's birthday. When the clock strikes 12am, he wishes his boyfriend happy birthday. Mats is also the one who did all the planning for the party from the blue colour theme to the food list for today's party. He was so stress an hour ago when he found out the kebabs are brunt and Christoph got the wrong blue colour ribbons. But now that the puzzle pieces are coming together, he is relieved. Everything in the room are Benni's favourite and he couldn't wait to see his beau's face when he sees it.

 

"Hello, Kira? Are you guys here yet?" asked Mats on the phone. It is 12 minutes before the party, and Mats is worried as he haven't seen the cake yet.

 

"Don't worry, mom. We just arrive the café. In fact, if you look at the door now, you will see a yummy chocolate fudge cake coming in." she replied at the other line. It's the 5th time Mats has called her about the cake. He has been nagging her about being there on time and Kira named him 'mom' for that. Mats turns around and sees Mario and André walking in with a cake box on their hands. He runs over to help them with the cake. When they placed the cake on the table, Mats opens the box. The cake looks perfect, just like what he has pictured it. It is half round with a football pattern and green colour cream decorated around it. It also has a boy figurine wearing a jersey on top of the cake. It took Kira 3 hours to make it, with Mario helping her.

 

"Thanks, Kira. You're the best." Mats said with a smile. Kira gives him a smile and then looks at Mario. Both of them are a little anxious, hoping that the cake still looks okay until the celebration. It isn't smooth sailing when they make the cake this morning. They had some problems with the oven. The temperature isn't right and they have to make a new one. This one has little cracks but they manage to cover those cracks with cream. 

 

Mats goes to check on the decorations and setting. Per and Sami are doing a great job decorating the wall. Christoph, Holger and Mesut are bringing out the food trays and setting the table. Mats sees Thomas approaching the table in a sneaky way.

 

"Thomas, I see you! Drop it!" Mats shouted when he catches Thomas stealing food from the table again. Thomas gives him a mischievous smile and leaves the chicken wing back on the tray.

 

It is 1pm and all the guest have arrived. When Benni enters the café, there is a boy walking beside him. It seems like Benni has brought a guest to the party. The boy isn't from their school's football team and he is the only stranger from the party. Kira couldn't take her eyes away from that boy. He is good looking but he isn't particularly handsome. There is just something special about the boy. He looks very familiar to Kira, it's like she has met him somewhere not too long ago. But she doesn't remember where she has met him or anything else related to the boy. When Benni introduces the boy in front of everyone, she gets to know his name, Manuel. But the name Manuel doesn't seem to struck anything. 

 

She keeps staring at the boy. The boy is now chatting with her friend Thomas. Thomas seems to be familiar with the boy. Maybe he does know him. When she finally has a chance, she tugs Thomas' sleeve and whispers, "Tommy, do you know that boy?"

 

"Yeah, he's Manuel. He likes football too."

 

"So you know him?" her eyes perk and she grins at Thomas.

 

"Yeah, like 5 minutes ago." he replied. 

 

"Right." she uttered and her smile fades away. She shouldn't have asked Thomas that question. Thomas can hold a conversation with literary anyone. So him chatting with the guest like best mates isn't that surprising at all. Kira has tried asking Benni about the boy. From what she got from Benni, Manuel is from another town. But he just moved his house to Benni's neighbourhood. But Benni and Manuel have known each other for a while now. His parents are good friends of Benni's parents and they get to hang out sometimes. However Benni is certain that he hasn't introduce Manuel to her before today.

 

The other boys welcome Manuel with open arms except Mats. There's something about Manuel that ticks him off. Maybe because Manuel is much taller than Mats. Maybe because Manuel has blond hair. Or maybe it's the Monster Inc T shirt that Manuel is wearing. Mats couldn't put a finger to it. He just doesn't like that boy. Benni finds himself a seat at the table. There is a chair specially decorated for him at the middle of table. His guest Manuel sits at Benni's right side and Mats quickly sits on the left. Mats stares at Manuel for a short while until Marcel nudges him. 

 

"Mats! Get up, stupid! That's Kira's place!" Marcel whispered to him. Mats pierces his eyes to Marcel, unwilling to surrender his place. Marcel doesn't back out and continues to talk in a louder voice. "Mats, get up, you're sitting in Kira's seat."

 

A few pair of eyes start to look at Mats. Mats grunts by himself. He has no choice but to leave the seat. Kira tries to save the situation by saying, "Oh, it's okay. I can sit with Thomas."

 

"No, no, no, silly. It's your BOYFRIEND'S birthday. You should sit with your BOYFRIEND." Thomas chirped in and shove her to sit down beside Benni. Kira looks at Mats with an apologetic expression, hoping that Mats will forgive her. She doesn't want to be in this position too, but the show must go on. 

 

"Okay then. I'll take that seat." said Mats as he points to the seat where Manuel is sitting. Manuel just gives him a blank stare.

 

"Mats, just sit somewhere else." Benni interrupted.

 

Mats' mouth is left hanging wide. Benni's words breaks his heart. _Did Benni just told me to sit somewhere else?_ _Do you mean that this new guy that you probably get to know two days ago is more important than me? And how about all the efforts I put into this party? All that and I can't even sit beside you? I don't deserved this at all._ Mats move himself to a new seat at the opposite side of the table. He spends the whole time staring at Benni and Manuel with a sour face. He only ate a piece of sushi and spends half an hour stabbing on a sausage with his fork. Sometimes Mats tries talking to Benni, but his beau just seems to reply him with a perfunctory answer. Benni and Manuel are talking softy so Mats couldn't hear a single word. All he could hear are laughter sounds from the two boys and it fuels more rage to him. Mats couldn't understand what is so great about this Manuel guy and why Benni seems to giggle at everything the new guy whispers to him. When Benni cuts the cake, he gives the first piece to Kira and the second one to Manuel. Mats crushes the cola can he is holding, trying hard not to make a scene. It is Benni's birthday after all. When Manuel reaches for the last cup of pudding, Mats snatches it from Manuel's hand. Leaving Manuel with a confused look. Benni notices it and he isn't happy with Mats' behaviour.

 

"Mats, can you give the pudding to Manuel?" said Benni.

 

"It's my pudding. I ordered 30 puddings just enough for everyone and I haven't eat it so it's mine." he replied with fume.

 

Benni furrows his eyebrows. He takes his own untouched pudding and gives it to Manuel. "Here, you can have mine."

 

"Ah, it's okay. I'm actually full." Manuel replied.

 

"Take it. I insist." said Benni with a little smile.

 

Mats couldn't take it anymore. He leaves his seat and rushes to the toilet. Benni notices there is definitely something wrong with Mats so he quickly follows his boyfriend.

 

"Mats, what happened?" Benni asked as he stop Mats by holding the latter's arm.

 

Mats closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He says, "Nothing, the curry was too hot."

 

"Mats, you didn't even touch the curry today. You just had one piece of sushi." Benni replied. He holds Mats' hands and looks at his boyfriend's eyes. He continues, "Mats, are you angry about me? If you want more pudding we'll get some later, okay?"

 

"Uhm... " Mats uttered. He couldn't get angry with Benni anymore. Benni did notice him all along even though he was busy talking with everyone else. Maybe it was only him acting in a childlish behaviour. Benni caresses his face and whispers the words 'silly boy'.

 

Manuel isn't sure what happened just now. He looks around the room and notices Kira looking at him. He leans over and whispers to her. "Hey! What happened to them?" 

 

"It's... a long story. But don't worry, the'll be fine." Kira answered him although she isn't sure herself either.

 

"Okay. Oh, I'm sorry I forgot your name cause there are too many people here today. My name is Manuel. And yours?" said Manuel. He stretches a hand out to Kira for a handshake.

 

"My name is Kira. Kira Götze." Kira replied as she shakes Manuel's hand and then continues. "Well, I have to ask you something. You look very familiar. Have we met before?" 

 

The boy narrows his eyebrows and looks closely at Kira. He then gives a smile and says, "Nah, I don't think so."

 

"Are you sure? I'm Mario's sister. You know Mario, right?" said Kira. She points a finger to Mario. Manuel looks at the said direction and looks back to Kira.

 

"I'm sorry, I don't know anyone here before today besides Benni." he replied.

 

"Hey! Were you two making out at the back there?" Thomas shouted when he sees Mats and Benni come out from the back. The rest of the boys brust into laugther.

 

"Nah. Someone was just being baby." Benni grins at Mats when he said that. They join the others for some party games.

 

The rest of the day goes really well. Everyone are having fun especially during the musical chairs and water balloon fight. Kira feels exhausted after the party. She stretches her neck after she reaches home with Mario. When she walks into her room, she glances at the giant teddy bear that she got from the Christmas market. Suddenly a thought hit her mind. The boy. The boy she saw today was the same boy from the Christmas market. It was him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jealous Mats is fun to write :D
> 
> I was going to write crossing fingers but I just found out that crossing your fingers means you’re lying in Germany.
> 
> Life is kind of busy right now and updates are kind of slow :D (sorry!) I'm going to continue the 3rd chapter of 'Wait for me' next and I hope it wouldn't be a long wait.
> 
> Next chapter:  
> \- Storm Warning  
> "Kira, I need to tell you something"  
> 


	29. Storm Warning

"What? Mario, why did you tell her? Are you crazy? Oh my god, we're so dead right now!" Marco exclaimed. He literary went bonkers as soon as Mario confesses about his confession to Kira. He's not ready to face Kira yet and with her state of mental health, god knows what she will do to them. He just couldn't stop thinking what Kira has in her mind. He walks around Mario's room in circles, with Mario and André in their private meeting, discussing how to deal with Kira. The boys become silent and they could hear Kira singing at the utility room from here. 

 

"I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier..."

 

André winces to Kira's off-key version of Chandelier. He asks, "Does your sister always sing like that?"

 

"Yeah. Now you know what cat screeching sound like," Mario replied. He turns to Marco and continues the previous topic. "Actually, I don't know if she heard it. Merlin kind of distracted her that day. And she seems normal after that." 

 

Marco still isn't relaxed after hearing that. In fact that he thinks this is probably the scary part. Kira could be hiding her feelings and have other plans on her mind. He has goosebumps for just thinking about it. The teenage boy is thinking of the worst possibilities that could happen to both him and his boyfriend. She might kill or torture the both of them.

 

"And-" Mario uttered.

 

"And??!!" Marco exclaimed. He didn't expect a part two on this story.

 

"Thomas found out about us." Mario continued.

 

"What?!" Marco shouted. The news shocks him even more. Thomas is the loudspeaker of the school and anything goes to him will spread to the whole school. This isn't good at all.

 

"He knows we're dating!" Mario replied.

 

"But how?" Marco asked. He didn't recall of doing any romantic gestures in front of the public. 

 

"Thomas might be deceiving you. He's really good at that." André chrips in. 

 

"But he said he's been observing us." said Mario.

 

"And you just tell him everything?" Macro said.

 

"Erm... I had to! I mean, he looks like he has known everything!" Mario replied.

 

"Ugh..." Marco bangs his head to the wall. His utterly speechless. He couldn't believe Mario just confessed everything to Thomas with only a few words.

 

"He asks me to tell Kira the truth. If I don't do it, he will!" Mario continued. He clings to Marco and asks, "What should we do now?"

 

"What are you waiting for? Just tell her already!" said André.

 

"No! We can't! And we have to stop Thomas from telling her!" Marco said.

 

"But she has to know the truth!" André said. "And sooner or later she will find out. It's either from you guys or from someone else. And trust me, if she finds out from Thomas it will be twice as worst."

 

"I know! But not now! It's not the right time!" Marco said. 

 

André rolls his eyes and grunts, "Ugh... You two are wimps! If you're not gonna tell her, I will tell her now!"

 

"No! André! No!" Marco shouted.

 

André sprints to the staircase with Marco and Mario chasing him down. The boys shout at each other, tugging André shirt, trying to stop André. They pull and push against themselves, resulting all the three of them tumble down the stairs, landing to each others bodies. Kira creases her eyebrows, wondering what the fuss was about. Before she has a chance to question the boys, she hears a loud scream coming from the yard. It is her mom's voice. The teenage girl runs to the yard follow by the boys. She is horrified to see Merlin collapsed on the floor with its tongue sticks out. There are a few bits of cakes laying beside her dog. Her mom tries to revive the dog but it isn't moving at all.

 

"Merlin! No!" Kira shouted. Tears start to roll down her cheeks. She presses her ear to Merlin's body to check its heartbeat. Thankfully Merlin is still breathing. Her dad comes out from the house and carries Merlin to the car. 

 

Merlin is taken to the emergency room as soon as they reach the vet clinic. Few minutes passes by and the vet comes out with a serious face. He question the Götzes if they have fed something different to the dog. The whole family shake their heads. They have been feeding the dog the same food that they had always been feeding. The doctor mentioned that there is an unknown substance that Merlin ate and resulted the German Shepherd unconcious. Mrs Götze recalls that she saw Merlin eating a piece of cake. But she has no idea where Merlin got the cake.

 

Mario, Marco, and André look at each other without uttering a word. But all three boys have the same thought. This certainly isn't the time to tell Kira about Mario's relationship. 

 

***

 

"Here, take these to the pantry. I'll take the rest later," said Mr Götze as he hands a tray of cupcakes to Kira. Kira and her mom had baked these chocolate cupcakes the whole morning. They are specially made for the orphans today. Making cupcakes to the orphanage is a yearly thing for the Götze family as a small token to give back to the society. Kira takes the tray of cupcakes from her dad and heads to the pantry. As she walks along, she could hear a voice calling out her name. She stops and glance around the room. The brunette girl is surprised to see Manuel waving at her with a warm smile. He is wearing a light blue long sleeve jersey paired with black shorts, holding a pair of goalkeeper gloves in his hand.

 

"Manuel? Why are you here?" she asked.

 

"Volunteering. How about you?" he replied.

 

"Oh... Same. My mom and I bake these for the kids. You can have one if you want. I bake extras just in case." Kira replied.

 

Manuel smiles at her and helps himself to one of the cupcakes. He seems pretty happy with the cupcake, wolfing down the cake with three bites. As he is still indulging the cupcake Kira couldn't help to ask, "So, you still remember that day I-"

 

"Of course. Who wouldn't? You're Benni's girlfriend. And the only girl in the party." he replied without a doubt while munching the cupcake.

 

"No, I mean the Christmas market." Kira continued. 

 

"Christmas market?" he creases his eyebrows.

 

"Yeah. You helped me to win a giant teddy bear from the funfair that day." Kira said.

 

"Ah... you're that struggling girl! Wow! I never knew you were Benni's girlfriend. Such a small world!' he chuckled. He tries to recall the incident and continues, "You know, I was visiting Munich during that weekend, just to visit their Christmas market. I saw you throwing balls for quite a while and none of them hit the target. So I thought I step up and help you. But I hope I wasn't too nosy."

 

"No, don't worry," Kira replied.

 

Manuel continues to talk but the conversation is quickly interrupted by Mr Götze. Mr Götze has unloaded all the cupcakes and it's time to distribute the cupcakes to the orphans. Kira and Manuel distribute one cupcake to each orphan. The cupcakes are a big sellout and even the extra 10% that Kira prepared are gone within minutes. The teenagers stand aside and just watch the young kids dive into the cupcakes. There is an unexplainable feeling of joy when the kids receive the cupcakes. It's almost like receiving a Christmas gift. It made everybody else in the room happy too, everyone except Kira. In fact, she hasn't smiled since Merlin's food poisoning case happened. No matter how hard Mario has tried to make her laugh with his knock knock jokes, she just couldn't laugh. She couldn't even fake one for Mario either. And despite her parents efforts to make her busy, Merlin is still at the back of her mind and it worries her.

 

"These cupcakes are tasty. What did you put in it?" Manuel asked as he peels off the cupcake from the baking paper. He took one from the tray beforehand because it was too irresistible.

 

Kira shakes away her thoughts and turns to Manuel. She utters, "Uh? Oh, just the basic ingredients. Flour, butter, sugar, cocoa powder... I guess it's the extra chocolate chips that made the difference."

 

Manuel smiles to her and says, "I guess it does. Oh, Benni must be very lucky to have you." 

 

Kira doesn't know how to reply except giving him  a nod. She doesn't talk much after that. Manuel, on the other hand, became a chatterbox. He talks about the difference of Bavarian and people from his hometown. He talks about the culture, accent and environment... Manuel seems very excited as he's just settling down here last week with his family and everything is new to him. Kira just stands beside him, trying hard to look interested in his topics. After the orphans finish their cupcakes, Mr Götze hands Kira a stack of colour papers. She starts to fold them into different shapes of origami. Heart shapes and bunnies for the girls, penguins and doggies for the boys. She just learnt them from Mini Mini last week and it turns out to be very popular. The orphans love the origamis and request her to teach them. Even Manuel seems interested in it. The teenage boy grabs a piece of paper to fold alongside. They also chat with the young children along the way. Manuel turns out to be a great entertainer. He makes the young kids laugh by making funny faces, mimicking celebrities and cartoon characters from tv. But whenever he glances to Kira, the teenage girl remains a stone cold expression. Manuel wonders why. From time to time he would ask her if she's alright but every time she just nods.

 

Manuel puts on his goalkeeper gloves and ushers the young kids to another side of the room. He instructs them to form a straight line for a penalty shootout. Each kid will have 3 chances against Manuel to shoot a goal. Kira looks on to Manuel playing with the younger kids. Manuel looks clumsy whenever he tries to save the balls with failed attempts. Kira finds his cartoon moves and slow-witted reflexes hilarious. She finally cracks a smile follow by a non-stop giggling. Out of 10 attempts, he only manages to save 2. That is pretty bad considering his opponents are young kids and none of the shots are threatening. It is easy to read where the ball will go as the kids are very innocent. They just shoot straight either to the left or right, and the ball speed is pretty slow. But despite that, Manuel unable to save them. The teenage boy just looks like someone that couldn't catch a ball to save his life. Kira reckons she could save at least 70% of them without problems. After the last boy finishes his turn, Manuel turns his focus to Kira. 

 

"Wanna play?" the teenage boy asked. He then passes the ball to Kira.

 

Kira catches the ball and flashes a lopsided smile to Manuel. She says, "You know, I don't mean to brag but I'm pretty good."

 

"Okay. Give me all you got," he replied with a smile.

 

Kira looks at Manuel from top to bottom and begins to smile sneaky. It is probably a good chance to nab a free drink out of this. Manuel looks like a total dork with the ball. And with the disastrous skills he showed when playing with the young kids, it wouldn't be a problem to win. Kira decides to dare him for a challenge. The brunette girl raises her palm to Manuel and says, "5 attempts. Loser has to buy Starbucks for the winner. Deal?"

 

"Deal." he replied swiftly to Kira's surprise.

 

Kira already has an upper hand coming into the game as she's the shooter. She is certain that she would win the game, but she still isn't going to make it easy for Manuel. She places the ball in front of her and takes a few steps backwards. The brunette girl glances around, thinking which spot to aim. She flashes a smile and starts to run but then stops right in front of the ball to trick Manuel. As soon as Manuel dives to the right side, she kicks the ball to the other side. The ball goes to the back of the net. She scores the next one too, by shooting at the right corner. She then kicks the third one to the top right corner, but Manuel manages to take down her shot. The brunette girl's jaw drops and she tremble witnessing it. Manuel is fast and precise when stopping that ball. Kira isn't expecting it at all. Not from him at least. She starts to have doubts about her own ability, resulting her shooting the fourth ball way beyond the goal.

 

"Dammit." she muttered.

 

"Hey, calm down, calm down." said Manuel after picking up the ball.

 

Kira glances to Manuel then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She starts to recall that save. _That is probably just a lucky save. He isn't that good. I still can win this._ She thinks. She opens her eyes slowly and shoots the ball. Manuel heads to the ball's direction but he isn't quick enough to respond and the ball goes in. Kira couldn't help to jump and squeal. She makes a celebration dance to rub it into Manuel. Manuel  just looks at her and giggle. He removes his gloves and gives a thumbs up to her.

 

"Ha! I knew it!" said Kira. "I knew I could win!"

 

"You're really good." said Manuel with a smile. 

 

"I told you so," Kira replied. "And don't forget the Starbucks."

 

"Ok. Where is the nearest Starbucks?" Manuel asked. He still hasn't familiar with the town despite arrived here for a week. 

 

"It's just two streets behind from here. But I can't make it today. I have to go to the vet later." Kira replied.

 

"Is everything's alright?" he asked.

 

Kira's face quickly turns into a frown. She replies, "I don't know. I hope so."

 

"Erm... would you like me to come with you?" Manuel asked.

 

"Thanks for the offer. But my dog doesn't like strangers. Anyway, my dad is taking me there." said Kira as she picks up her stuff.

 

"Alright then. Take care." Manuel replied.

 

Kira nods and leaves the orphanage with her dad. She stays quiet throughout the whole journey to the vet. Her favourite Ed Sheeran song is on the radio but she doesn't even care. She only has Merlin on her mind. Her dad holds her hand, try to comfort her. When they reach the clinic, the vet gives them a good news. Merlin is safe to go home, but still needs a lot of care from the family. Kira gives a bear hug to Merlin, who still looks weak. The Götzes take the German Shepherd home and as soon as Kira walks into the living room, she could see Thomas sitting on the couch. Thomas is looking at her with a rather stern face. That expression is quite rare coming from the teenage boy. And he is addressing her as Kira. This must be something very important.

 

"Kira, I need to tell you something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually can't believe how long this chapter took me to write.
> 
> Side note: 25th March is my 1st anniversary in AO3!!! \o/
> 
> Next chapter:  
> "If you say another word of it and we're not friends anymore!"


	30. Cat Out Of The Bag

"What's going on, Tommy?"

 

Kira stares at her best friend with a perplexed face. She is surprised to see a frown Thomas Müller in her house. Thomas' worried face makes her anxious and when the teenage boy insists on talking in private it makes the whole thing more daunting. What is it that Thomas wants to tell her? The boy takes a deep breath before he starts talking.

 

"Your brother is dating Marco."

 

 _What? This has to be a joke._ Kira is stunned for 2 seconds but then starts to giggle the next. She pats on her best friend's shoulder and smiles, 

 

"Thanks, Tommy, you made my day."

 

"Kiki, it's not a joke." Thomas quickly replies with a stern voice.

 

Kira's laugh quickly turn into a deadpan. Thomas couldn't be serious with this, right? It's too early for an April Fool prank but knowing Thomas, he doesn't need a special day to fool someone. Kira isn't sure but she is leaning towards that Thomas is trying to prank her. The boy has a history as the king of prankster in school anyway. He had tricked her into believing that aliens are real. The teenage boy made it so real with stories backed up with photographs, videos, and even a news commentary. The young girl was so paranoid she stayed in the basement for the whole night until he finally told her the truth. She was barking madly at him when he told her but they were back to friends again after 3 days. Kira couldn't get angry with Thomas for too long. She doesn't know what it is but the boy just has a way to make her forgive him. Kira has vowed not to let herself fall into one of Thomas' 'traps' again after the incident. She is gonna stay firm on this one for sure. Besides, she doesn't have a reason to believe him anyway. Neither Mario or Marco show any signs of gay and neither of them shows signs of love. If Mario is in love with someone, Kira believes she will be the first one to know.

 

_It must be a prank._

 

But Thomas being Thomas, he doesn't stop there. He keeps on harping at the teenage girl, trying to convince her that Mario and Marco are indeed in a relationship. The boy tries to point out some examples to his friend but she isn't convinced, shooting down his facts with her own theories.

 

"They eat from the same plate!"

 

"They've been doing that this since 3rd grade. Oh come on, don't tell me that they fall in love at 3rd grade? That's ridiculous!"

 

"They are wearing the same bracelets!"

 

"See this? I have one with the girls too. They are called friendship bracelets. Friendship. Not love."

 

"Then what about André? Why isn't he is treated the same way as Marco?"

 

"Well, I don't know! Maybe everyone treats people differently? Like you have best friends, school friends, acquaintances... we treat them differently?"

 

"And boyfriends!"

 

"Oh, Tommy, stop it! Mario is not gay!"

 

"How would you know?"

 

"Because I would know! He will tell me!"

 

Thomas pauses when Kira said that. There is sorrow in his eyes as he looks at her. The boy lowers his head and leaves the room without saying goodbye. Kira watches him and sighs. She heads to the kitchen for some fruit juice to make herself better. As she is making herself some orange juice, she could hear laughter coming from the door. She glances to the living room and she could see her brother whispering and giggling with Marco as they walk into the house. It makes her wonder. What if Thomas is right?

 

_Nah._

 

She shakes her head. The boys have been like that since they first met. They are not doing anything differently. But she couldn't help notice the different behaviour from Mario and Marco individually. Especially Marco, who has been avoiding her whenever she is with him. Kira couldn't understand why Marco looks afraid when they are alone, it's like she would bite him or something. But in reality, she just wants to interact with the boy. She tries to talk with Mario about it but her brother seems to change the subject, just like when she questions him about Sunny.

 

_What the hell is going on?_

 

The teenage girl also tries to get her brother and Ann together so that he will spend less time with her crush. She creates some opportunities for Mario but Mario keeps giving excuses to run away from the dates.

The more Mario resists the more Kira strategies. It frustrates her when her brother doesn't want to cooperate. Ann is beautiful and popular. Why doesn't Mario like Ann?

 

_Why?_

 

And when Thomas annoys her with the same issue again, it is the final straw.

 

"Tommy, it's not funny!"

 

"It's not meant to be funny! Mario and Marco are dating! That's the truth! Ugh, why are you so stubborn? Mario-"

 

"Thomas, stop it! If you say another word of it and we're not friends anymore!"

 

Thomas grunts and rolls his eyes. He is silent for the whole evening, which is an unusual thing for Thomas Müller. The boy tries to open his mouth but he decided to keep it shut. Girl won't listen anyway.

 

 _There's no way Mario is gay, right?_ Kira assures herself. Her brother never talks about having an interest in boys. And he would look at pictures of beautiful girls, even suggesting styles and clothes for her when they read an article about the Grammy awards.

 

_Mario is straight. Yes, Mario is definitely straight._

 

***

 

"Marco?"

 

"Hmm?"

 

"I'm scared. I'm scared when Kira finds out about us."

 

Mario and Marco lay on the bed staring the paper stars on the ceiling. They have been quiet until Mario breaks the silence. Marco lifts his upper body and turns to the side, facing Mario. Mario could see a frown face on Marco. He could feel his boyfriend's hand is shaking as the older boy laces his hand. Marco pecks on his temple, whispers to him,

 

"Don't worry, we'll make it through." 

 

Mario looks at his boyfriend's green eyes, trying to crack a smile for the older boy. He could feel that Marco is scared too. Marco leans closer to him and presses a kiss. The kiss isn't a passionate one. It's just a simple lingering one without many movements. But it does calm him down a little. As his hand tries to reach Marco's waist, he could hear the sound of the door open.

 

"Mario, I need to borrow your char-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we FINALLY reach the 1st climax! :D I have no idea why it is so short but I hope you enjoy the chapter. *I will fix some stuff here and there later* :P It's been almost 2 months :D Lately, real life has been taking up a lot of my free time. (Or should I say previously I've put too much time in writing? :P) Apart from the slight busy schedule, I haven't got the mojo to write this for a while, I wrote a little something else instead :P
> 
> I had the chapter title in Chinese 紙包不住火 which literary translates 'paper could not wrap the fire'. It means secrets cannot be kept forever. I find that a beautiful metaphor :) The best alternative in English is 'Cat Out Of The Bag' which is kind of :/
> 
> I won't be starting new fics except super short fics until 'Wait For Me' ends because I know there are people waiting for these fics. I try to focus and update them as soon as I can *fingers cross*. And there are a few ideas I don't think I'm able to write them out. I'll need to find new owners for them XD
> 
> Prepare for some rage in the next chapter!


	31. Losing Grip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a repost as I accidentally deleted this chapter! So sorry about that! :(

Thump!

 

Kira's phone drops to the ground as she witnesses her brother smooching and cuddling her crush on the bed. Her eyes become wide watching the boys in horror. She takes two steps backwards and stumbles along the way. No way! This is not real! These are the thoughts she has in her mind. She shakes her head in disbelief. The teenage girl has half guessed that Marco has a significant other but never in her life she would guess it is her brother Mario. The Sunny that she has been hunting for had always been in front of her eyes and she feels like an idiot for not figured that out. All these while, Mario has been fooling around with her crush behind her back when she is hoping on him to pull the strings for her. Mixed emotions of anger and disappointment are boiling in her heart as she feels utterly betrayed. Mario is one of the people she loves and trusted the most. He is the one that she told her best-kept secrets. She has been trusting her brother to find this 'Sunny' but it turns out that he is Sunny. For Mario to betray her is like a dagger stabbing through her heart. It hurts like hell.

 

And it is also a slap on her face, as Thomas was telling the truth all along. She just does not want to believe the reality.

 

The boys gasp in synchronisation, with Mario fumbling down from the bed as he tries to reach his sister. A few bruises are printed on his elbows and knees but he could not bother about it. Tears start running down his cheeks as he gets up and grabs his sister's arm, pleading for forgiveness.

 

"Kira, I can explain-"

 

Kira flicks Mario's hands away ruthlessly, shedding a tear or two in the process. She gives a death glare to Mario and then screams at the top of her lungs. "Mario, how could you do this to me?!"

 

"Kira, I'm sorry! I really like Marco!" Mario replies.

 

Mario's words are like a bunch of salts scatter on Kira's wounds. It fuels her anger even further. She raises her hand and tries to hit her brother, only to stop by another hand. The teenage girl glances to the side and sees Marco staring at her with a rather fierce expression. Seeing Marco standing at Mario's side upsets Kira and it makes her embarrassed by her own action. She scales back her hand and swiftly leaves the room in disappointment. Tears begin to flow down her face as she sprints aimlessly. She could hear the boys shouting her name from behind, but she ignores them. She runs until the river bank and trips on a rock, falling on four limbs. Traces of blood appears on her limbs. She could feel ache from her physical injury but it is nothing compared to the emotional injury that she is facing. 

 

She has lost track the time she spent crying at the river bank and it is already sunset when she reaches home. She goes straight to her room, ignoring Mario and her parents as well. She spends the night sobbing on her desk, skipping dinner and ignoring the door knocking sounds. When she tilt her head up, it is already midnight and her tummy is playing drums. Everyone else is probably sleeping by now so she sneaks her way into the kitchen to fill her tummy. She sighs in disappointment when she finds out that there are no leftovers from dinner. The teenage girl is not in the mood to cook anything so she settles on a bag of Lays, a packet of skittles, some cereal, a couple of Snickers bars and whatever she could salvage. While she munches the chips, she realises the kitchen light turns on and a figure approaches the room. It turns out to be Mario.

 

"Kira?" Mario says, looking at her with a rather confused face. The kitchen is an utter mess, with candy wrappers and uneaten food lying on the floor. People would have assumed that it was a rat's doing if they did not see Kira. Mario approaches Kira and takes away the bag of chips from her. He says, "Kira, don't do this to yourself!"

 

Kira becomes panic when the bag of chips is taken away from her. She snatches it back and vigorously grabs as many snacks as she could with both hands, hugging them immensely. She glares at Mario and says, "Why do you have to steal everything?"

 

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to!" Mario replies with a frown. He lowers his head, takes a few steps backwards and leaves Kira alone.

 

***

 

"Kira? Kira!"

 

Kira turns around to respond the male voice calling from behind. She could see Manuel approaching her with quick steps, with a concerned expression written on his face. As soon as the boy reaches her, he asks, "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

 

"Ah, I'm fine." Kira shakes her head, trying to give the brightest smile that she could to the boy. But sadness still shows on her face.

 

Manuel gives Kira a tiny smile after listening to her answer and then continues, "Oh, have you seen Benni?"

 

"No, why?" She responds.

 

"Well, have you seen the other guys from the football team? I went to the field but there was nobody there." Manuel says with his eyebrows creasing.

 

"Oh... I guess they are having a meeting at the multi-purpose room. I'm going there as well. Let me take you there." Kira responds with a nonchalant tone.

 

"Oh my god, thank you, Kira. You know, I'm so stupid. It's been a week and I'm still keep going to the wrong places." The boy replies with a silly grin plastered on his face. Seeing the happy boy, Kira tries to put on a smile for him.

 

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. But you may need to wait for a while. I think the meeting will last for half an hour." Kira says.

 

"I just hope the coach wouldn't be mad at me for being late in the first day," Manuel says while laughing at himself.

 

Kira breaks and quickly turns to Manuel with a slightly confused face. She tries to register the fact that Manuel is joining the football team. "Wait, what? You're joining the football team?" 

 

"Yeah." Manuel nods to her.

 

Kira arches her eyebrow, clenches her hand below her chin and studies Manuel from head to toe. Judging by Manuel's tall and slightly build body, his lousy goalkeeping skills, she tries to come out with her own assumption. "Oh, so you're a defender?"

 

"Nah, I'm a goalie," Manuel says with a grin.

 

Kira's eyes turn wide as she is dumbfounded by Manuel. She would have believed it if Manuel is playing one of the outfield positions. But goalkeeper? This must be a joke. Kira has played against the boy in a penalty shout out before and with those clumsy moves that Manuel presented, there is no way he could make it into the team. Not even as a substitute or the 2nd team. Munich International School is famous for their goalkeepers and some of their previous goalkeepers even made it to the professional career. Manuel, on the other hand, couldn't even grip a ball. The only position she could see him is on the bench. She could not help feeling sorry for the boy, who seems giddy about his new co-curriculum. But enthusiasm itself cannot get him a place on the football team. Kira hates to do this, but somebody has to tell the boy the truth. She clears her throat and starts talking. "Erm, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but we have really good goalkeepers in our school. And I mean really really good ones."

 

"Nice. I love challenges." Manuel replies her with a grin. 

 

Kira opens her mouth again but words could not seem to get out from her throat. The boy in front of her is too giddy about his first day in football. Anything else probably will not get into his mind. She figured that maybe having Manuel experiencing the reality might be the best way. If anything, she is prepared to hand him some tissues.

 

The two reach the multi-purpose room just in time, right before the coach comes in. Kira finds a seat at the corner of the room and starts browsing around the room. Her eyes pause at her crush, who is busy chit chatting with the other boys. Kira lets out a sigh and leans her head against the wall. She wonders how is she going to get Marco Reus' heart.


	35. Trying To Fit A Square Into A Circle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE!
> 
> The chapter is finally done! :)

Mr. Götze looks at his wife and notices that her brows are furrowed like his own. Both of them have been observing their children that were silent for a couple of days and it worries them, especially Kira who had been rude to everyone. The atmosphere in the house becomes icy cold without the two little chatterboxes mingling and it does not take Einstein to figure out that something is wrong with the teenagers. Kira and Mario had fights in the past but they were nothing like this. The grown-ups had tried to pry some information from the teenagers but the latter had given pretty vague answers. Kira has been insisting that she is fine, claiming that she is only bothered by the pressure of studying while Mario has been saying that his sister is not feeling well. Somebody is clearly telling a lie as both of their confessions does not add up. Or worst, nobody has been telling the truth. Mr. Götze glances to his wife's eyes, silently agreeing among themselves that something has to be done.

 

They decide to have a chat with their children on the dinner table, hopefully, they manage to get something with both teenagers together. Kira is the first between the two teenagers to reach the dining table but she is quick to leave as soon as she finishes grabbing her portion. But she is immediately stopped by her father.

 

"Kira, you're not eating in your room again." Mr. Götze says firmly.

 

"But Adele is having a live chat right now," Kira replies.

 

"Well, you're going to sit here with us tonight even if the sky falls down, young lady. We are going to have a proper family dinner tonight." Mr. Götze pierces his daughter with his eyes when he says that. Kira shivers a little, knowing her father means business when he gives those tiger eyes. She has no choice but to obey, as she plops herself on one of the chairs but the girl could not help grunting nonetheless. The live chat excuse does not seem to work this time. She narrows her eyes, glances around the room back and forth, trying to see if there is any new loophole she could come out with. When Mario takes his seat beside her as usual, it fuels up her soul. The teenage girl rolls her eyes and tosses the utensils on the dining table. The clanking sounds cause everyone else on the table to shift their focus towards her. As Kira stands up and prepares to leave the table, Mr. Götze could not help to voice out again.

 

"Kira, where are you going?!"

 

Kira breaks on her feet, gives a side eye to her baby brother before answering her dad. "Papa, I'm not sitting with a traitor!"

 

"Kira, what are you talking about? What traitor?" Mr. Götze raises his voice. 

 

"Him! I'm not sitting with him!" Kira points her finger to Mario and pouts.

 

Mr. Götze's face turns dark, as he slams the table and raises from his seat. It shocks the other members of the family. The man utters a loud call. "Kira, are you mad?! That's it! I had enough with your rude behaviour! Now apologize to your brother!"

 

"Why should I? I'm not the sinner." Kira replies as she gives another death stare to Mario.

 

Mario gulps and looks away, avoiding that look as the teenager girl looks like she is about to eat him alive. He gets up from his seat and tries to plea but both father and daughter are not willing to back down, with eyes darting at each other, testing the other party's patience. Mrs. Götze tries to calm down her family members but the situation does not seem to change.

 

"No!" Kira replies firmly and turns away, before sprinting her way to her room. As soon as she reaches, she bangs the door and plops on her bed, bursts into tears. She hates that both of her parents are on Mario's side and it has always seemed to be like that. When they were younger, the grown-ups always let Mario get on the kiddie rides first. Mario would always get toys or snacks whenever he asks but they would sometimes reject her if she asks. Every time Mario cries, he gets what he wants. In contrast, Kira is always the one to be blamed on when Mario cries. It is always Mario, Mario, Mario first. At times, Kira is told to give in for Mario but she is not willing to back out this time.

 

Bickering sounds from the ground floor could be heard from her room but it does not last long. The house soon becomes quiet just like a few hours ago. Kira begins to feel her eyes become heavy but in the midst of drowsiness, she could hear a few door knocking sounds follow by a door opening sound. Her mind tells her to sleep but the curiosity kept her awake. She could feel a couple gentle strokes runs through her hair. It feels like the person understands what she has been going through as this is definitely something that she needs right now. When she slightly tilts her head up, she could see her mom giving her a slight smile.

 

"Honey, what's wrong?" The mother asks.

 

"Mom, Mario... stole... Marco! Mario stole Marco!" Kira replies with a croaking voice with a couple of hiccups in the middle of her sentence.

 

"What are you talking about? Marco doesn't belong to any of you. He is Mario's friend. But he is also your friend." Mrs. Götze replies.

 

"He knew... he knew I love Marco! He... he did that on purpose!" Kira says as tears start to flow again.

 

"What? But I thought you're with Benni? Aren't you happy with Benni?" Mrs. Götze stops stroking her daughter and waits for the answer.

 

"Mom, that was fake! It was fake! We did that to deceive his mother!" Kira blurts out and burst another flow of water.

 

"What?" Mrs. Götze utters in disbelief and tries to get some reconfirmation from her daughter's eyes. She then wraps her daughter into her arms. The soothing stroke calms Kira down and eventually the girl stops crying. When the situation starts to cool off, Mrs. Götze starts to open her mouth. "It's okay, honey. I'm sure you'll get another boy."

 

"I don't want other boys! I want Marco! I want Marco! I love him first!" Kira stomps her and starts crying again.

 

Mrs Götze wipes the teardrops on her daughter's face and then gently hold the girl's face. "Kira, listen. Love doesn't work that way. It doesn't mean that you can get Marco just because you love him first or if you love him more than Mario. I can see that Marco loves Mario very much. His eyes glow every time he sees your brother and the way he takes care of your brother is so attentive."

 

Mom's words do not seem to register into Kira's mind as the teenage girl hunts for Marco the next day. But catching up with Marco is like catching fish with bare hands as the boy is avoiding her on purpose. Kira tries shouting his name at the crowded hallway to get his attention but Marco did not respond to her. Kira is certain that Marco could hear her voice as there are people turning to her with a perplexed way. It is obvious that the boy is just dodging her. With the last hope, Kira tries to wait for Marco at his home. It is probably the most effective way as Marco needs to go home eventually.

 

The wait seems is like an eternity. It is already sunset when Marco arrives his front yard. The boy looks at Kira with furrow brows and a frown, remains silent for some time before approaching Kira. He probably figured that he could not avoid this forever.

 

"Marco, can I talk to you?" She asks. Marco gives her a nod. She takes a deep breath and continues, "Marco, I love you."

 

"I'm sorry, Kira. I love Mario."

 

Marco's reply is harsh. It hammers Kira's heart, crushes and rips her soul into million pieces. The boy does not even console her and just goes into his house, leaving the heartbroken girl in the front yard. Kira is displeased by the fact that Marco chooses Mario over her. How could Marco choose a boy over her? What is that with Mario that she does not have? How is Mario better than her? She channels her anger into her brother, throwing stuff to Mario instead of giving it by hand and ignoring the younger boy when he tries to have a conversation with her. Mario tries his best to tolerate her, but the girl becomes more and more insatiable. At one point Mario decides to put it a stop. He blocks Kira's way, forcing her to have a conversation with him. Kira makes a huff, crosses her arms, eyes darting to Mario signaling the young boy to move away. Mario picks up his courage and utters,

 

"Kira, what do I need to do for you to forgive me?"

 

Kira rolls her eyes and scoffs, "You know what to do, Mario. Don't ask me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the half written chapter :D I've clicked publish before I finish writing. Eek!
> 
> The title is from a Hilary Duff song, Come Clean.

**Author's Note:**

> Playlist:  
> I Really Like You - Carly Rae Jepsen  
> Fix You - Coldplay  
> Spell - Marie Digby  
> Your Song - Elton John (I prefer Ellie Goulding's version)  
> Waiting For The End - Linkin Park  
> Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran  
> Little Toy Soldiers - Carrie Underwood  
> Because Of You - Kelly Clarkson  
> I Will Be - Leona Lewis  
> I Want Crazy - Hunter Hayes  
> Everybody's Got Somebody But Me - Jason Mraz ft Hunter Hayes  
> I Will Be - Leona Lewis  
> Innocence - Avril Lavigne  
> Girl Crush - Little Big Town  
> All Your Life - The Band Perry  
> Fall To Pieces - Avril Lavigne  
> Just A Dream - Sam Tsui & Christina Grimmie (original by Nelly)  
> Avril Lavigne - I Love You
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this story. If you like it please give me a kudos. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve. :) every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you. :D
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this story. If you like it please give me a kudos. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve. :) every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you. :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/). I may drop some hints there! :) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Do You Want to Build a Snowman?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3653094) by [Fearlesskiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki)
  * [Life Starts After 6pm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3941275) by [Fearlesskiki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki)




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